Staunton, October 19 – Russia faces a new “time of troubles” if Vladimir Putin doesn’t escalate the conflict in Ukraine and establish control over all its territory, according to Igor Strelkov, the former defense minister of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk Peoples Republic. And he adds that Putin’s personal survival depends on such an escalation. In a […]
When the remains of Andrei Stenin, a RIA Novosti photographer who had been missing for weeks, were finally identified and he was confirmed dead, the Kremlin’s top propagandist Dmitry Kiselyev solemnly commemorated him and angrily denounced the Ukrainian armed forces who he believed had killed him. Russian state news media gave saturation coverage to the […]
Staunton, September 26 – The pro-Moscow militants in Ukraine’s Donbas backed by Russian forces represent a threat not only to the territorial integrity of Ukraine but to the future of Russia because the leaders of “Novorossiya” combine nationalism and socialism in a way that recalls some of the greatest evils of the 20th century. In […]
Updated Daily. This week’s issue: – Ruble Falls To Record Low After Prosecutors Confirm Lawsuit to Nationalize Bashneft – What is Yevtushenkov’s Relationship to Support for Russian-Backed Separatists in Ukraine? – Prosecutor Demands Return of Bashneft Shares to State; Yevtushenkov To Remain Under House Arrest – Russians Polled Find Putin ‘Most Moral’ Figure; But Some […]
Staunton, September 10 – Igor Strelkov, the former defense minister of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk Peoples Republic” and the ideological hero of many Russian nationalists, has called for the formation of an alliance between the left and the right to oppose a Maidan-style revolution to overthrow Vladimir Putin and promote democracy in the Russian Federation. His […]
Pavel Kanygin, special correspondent for the independent Russian online newspaper Novaya Gazeta has been interviewing a number of the pro-Russian separatists and other political figures in Ukraine for some time. [See our translation of his interview with former Yanukovych Aide Anna German—The Interpreter). Kanygin himself was once kidnapped by the Russian-backed separatists and freed on […]
Updated Daily. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev sprang two restrictive Internet decrees on providers and users this week, one requiring presentation of domestic passports to use public Internet cafes or wi-fi, and the other mandating operators of social media to collect more user data and make it available to Russian intelligence agencies. Mysteriously, a group calling […]
Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs. View Ukraine: April, 2014 in a larger map For links to individual updates click on the timestamps. For […]
Updated Daily. A group seeking greater autonomy for Siberia found its web page, VKontakte community and Twitter account censored as well as an interview with its leader in slon.ru. A rally organized by Russian ultranationalists in support of the separatists fighting in southeastern Ukraine had a very low turnout. Young Russian men cheered a Russian […]
As we have reported, the statement posted to the VKontakte group “Strelkov’s Dispatches” on 17 July within 20 minutes of the downing of the Malaysian airliner MH17 is not a hoax or a fake. While some journalists have impugned the reference, we have explained that it represents a genuine report that came from him or […]
