Tag: Former Soviet Union

Putin Stages a Putsch Against His Earlier Self, Belkovsky Says

April 23, 2014

Staunton, April 23 – The best way to understand the events of the last several months, Stanislav Belkovsky argues, is to view them as a repetition of the August 1991 coup with only this difference: the leader of this coup is Vladimir Putin and the target of his radical shifts is the Putin of the […]

Is Federalization Now Putin’s Strategy for Undermining All of Russia’s Neighbors?

April 14, 2014

Staunton, April 13 – The vehemence of Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s opposition to Moscow’s proposal for the federalization of Ukraine suggests that this Russian demand may not be an ad hoc position reflecting uniquely Ukrainian situation but part of a broader strategy to break and ultimately re-subordinate neighboring countries. Not only would such an approach […]

Assimilation of Russians by Other Nations ‘Not a Myth,’ Nationalist Says

Staunton, April 13 – For the last several years, many Russian commentators have talked about Russians who have converted to Islam and thereby become even more anti-Russian than ordinary Muslims. Now, a Russian nationalist is focusing on the reality that at least some ethnic Russians are assimilating to other nations and following the same path. […]

Putin Draws His Own ‘Red Lines’ across Post-Soviet Space

March 27, 2014

Staunton, March 27 – The Western powers have long talked about “red lines” in Syria and elsewhere: actions or events that they say have suggested underscore their concern and indicate where they will act. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has done the same, and his “red lines” underscore that his moves in Ukraine are part […]

Ankara’s Support for Turkic Groups in North Caucasus Calls into Question Borders There

March 26, 2014

Staunton, March 26 — As the Circassian issue became prominent in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics, Russian commentators focused on and denounced Circassian desires to re-create a single Circassia in the North Caucasus, a step that would require the wholesale redrawing of Soviet-imposed borders there. But now it appears that Ankara’s efforts to spread […]

Crimean Events Re-Ordering Relations and Conflicts across Post-Soviet Space

Staunton, March 26 – Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea has not only opened a new divide between Moscow and the West. It has re-ordered relations among the former Soviet republics and that in turn has raised questions about the way such changes will affect the future of many unresolved conflicts there. In an article for Vestnik […]

Kremlin’s Anti-Western Mythology Dangerously Self-Destructive, Milov Says

March 25, 2014

Staunton, March 25 – The Kremlin’s anti-Western mythology is now so widespread that many in Moscow and some in the West accept it as a given and fail to understand how it reflects a specific political program and how dangerous and self-destructive it is for those who are putting it about, according to Vladimir Milov. […]