Staunton, June 30 – Roman Silantyev, notorious for his attacks on Muslims in the Russian Federation but close to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian security agencies, says that the FSB plans for “the liquidation of radical Islamic organizations in Crimea.” Silantyev told Rosbalt last week that the Russian security services […]
The majority of this article was written by Pierre Vaux, with significant contributions by James Miller and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. All translations by Pierre Vaux except those marked with *, which are translated by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. Russia’s military and intelligence sector has been actively involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine for months, as […]
Updated Daily. Kremlin propagandists have targeted the State Department’s spokesperson for ridicule in a social media campaign, but it’s not clear if it has genuine resonance. Surveillance of Internet users and particularly bloggers will increase under new Russian laws, although Putin claims he is just “thinking of the children.” Russian independent media has tracked the […]
Staunton, June 7 – In yet another example of the Kremlin’s shamelessness about its plans to use its power across the former Soviet space in what constitutes an updated but geographically smaller Brezhnev doctrine, FSB head Aleksandr Bortnikov says his agency will react quickly and harshly to any attempt to overthrow existing regimes in the […]
Staunton, May 23 – Igor Strelkov, defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic, has attracted attention because of his Moscow ties, but now a Russian news agency has suggested that he represents “an Orthodox Chekist at the head of a revolution” and asked the broader question — can an Orthodox oligarch carry out a […]
Staunton, April 29 – Mustafa Cemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement whom Russian authorities have banned from entering his homeland until 2019, says that the Russian security service has told him and by extension his nation that its members must submit to Russian rule, face prison, or, even more ominously, “disappearance.” Despite […]
Staunton, April 28 – Many in Russia and the West have speculated that the combination of Vladimir Putin’s policies against Ukraine, Moscow’s increasing isolation internationally, and deteriorating economic conditions at home will eventually lead to a Maidan-style challenge to his rule. That is possible, of course, but a man identified as a former FSB officer […]
Staunton, April 19 – In a demonstration of principled toughness, Mustafa Cemilev, the longtime leader of the Crimean Tatars and a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, has very publicly returned to his homeland after declaring that he remains a Ukrainian citizen and that some in Moscow are thinking about a new deportation of his people. […]
Exclusive photos and videos obtained by the Daily Beast expose the Russian-trained state killers behind the sniper deaths on Maidan. Vitali Klitschko has announced he will not run for President as Ukraine continues to plan for increased Russian military intervention. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story […]
The Sochi Winter Olympics start in just two days. This week, The Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller speaks to Boston College Professor Dr. Matt Sienkiewicz about whether Russia is ready for the Olympics, what to look out for during the Olympics, and whether or not the games will be safe from terrorism. Also see today’s liveblog of the run-up to the […]
