War returns to Ukraine, as fighting has broken out across the front. World powers and intelligence sources continue to debate whether the Metrojet crash in Egypt was an act of terrorism. These are big, ugly headlines, but another headline may give insight into the source of so many of Russia’s problems — President Vladimir Putin’s […]
Russian intelligence claims to have foiled a plot by Russian terrorists trained in Syria to bomb public transport. 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. Recent Translations: –The Non-Hybrid War –Kashin Explains His […]
The first instalment of our Putin in Syria blog can be found here. Russia Repeats Denials Of Troops In Syria Despite Soldiers’ Testimony And Reports From Hama 2015-09-18 15:20:02 The state-owned TASS news agency reports that the Russian Defence Ministry has denied that Russian contract soldiers are being deployed to Syria, following the publication of […]
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs 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. For links to individual […]
Staunton, August 2 – If one considers the factors that powered the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria – political instability, a weak counter-terrorism policy, Sunni predominance, and enormous natural resources — Dzhamiliya Kochoyan says, one is driven to the conclusion that Turkmenistan is at greater risk of an ISIS attack than any other […]
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs 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. For links to individual […]
Staunton, July 6 – Those who serve as informers for the Russian secret police will now receive pensions, according to a new law. By this action, Vladimir Putin simultaneously corrects a shortcoming in Soviet legislation – until now, informers couldn’t count their “service” toward a pension – while offending ordinary Russians who see their own […]
Staunton, June 26 – In the age of the Internet, it isn’t enough for an authoritarian ruler to control what appears in newspapers and on television. If he really wants to isolate his opponents, he must try to intimidate journalists into not covering those the leader doesn’t like lest they post their reports online and […]
Staunton, June 23 – Anti-Americanism has become part of the discourse of ordinary Russians over the last year, but senior government officials have generally been restrained in their use of such phobias. But that has now changed, Nezavisimaya gazeta says, and “anti-American phobias have acquired the status of the official picture of the world in […]
I am grateful to the German newspaper BILD for running this piece as “Wie Snowdens schöne Geschichte langsam zerfällt” For the benefit of readers who don’t know German, I’m providing the English version — enjoy! Exactly two years after Edward Snowden went public with his exposure of Western intelligence secrets, causing a global sensation, the […]
