Staunton, October 11 – Estimating the real costs, direct and indirect, of a military conflict is always difficult because so many factors need to be considered, but Moscow economist Andrey Illarionov says that even if one ignores direct human and property losses, Vladimir Putin’s wars are currently costing Russia approximately US $94 billion every year. […]
Tag: economic crisis in Russia
Putin Is Turning Up The Heat In Syria To Cover Turning It Down In Ukraine
Staunton, September 20 – Faced with ever greater economic problems at home and isolation abroad, Vladimir Putin needs to freeze the conflict in the Donbass in such a way that Russians won’t begin asking questions about why he went there in the first place, Aleksandr Rabinovich says. And consequently, he is turning up the heat […]
More than Half of All Books Published in Russia Now Issued in Fewer than 1,000 Copies
Staunton, July 8 – Fifty-three percent of all books published in Russia last year were issued in print runs of under 1,000 copies, with the average tirage of the 112,100 books published there now standing at 4,330 copies, continuing downward trends of the last six years and isolating many of these works from their audiences […]
Russia Update: After Nuclear Program Agreement, ‘Iran Will Undercut Russian Oil’
Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The previous issue is here. UPDATES BELOW Special features: – Alexey Navalny On the Murder of Boris Nemtsov –Theories about Possible Perpetrators of the Murder of Boris Nemtsov –Novaya Gazeta Releases […]
A Checklist of Ten Russian Developments Worth Watching
Staunton, February 19 – The situation in and around Russia is now changing with such dizzying rapidity that it is all but impossible to keep up, given the overriding need to focus on Vladimir Putin’s continuing aggression in Ukraine. But many, small and large, are worth watching because of the potential each of them has […]
Disconnect Between Russia’s Economic Problems and Support for Putin Reflects ‘Authoritarian Trap,’ Illarionov Says
Staunton, October 13 – All major economic indicators in Russia have been in negative territory this year but popular support for Vladimir Putin remains at an all-time high, a situation that could be described as “’Putin’s scissors,’” Andrey Illarionov says, and one that highlights just how far Russia has fallen into an authoritarian “trap.” In […]