This is a syndicated column originally published by RFE/RL’s Brian Whitmore. One is a republic inside Russia that is formally ruled by Moscow. One is an independent country on Russia’s western frontier that has long been Moscow’s client state. Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin is accustomed to getting its way with both of them — until recently, […]
Staunton, January 23 – The recent statement by Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peshkov, that “there are things more important than laws” is the latest sign of a fundamental shift in Russian governance from the dictatorship of laws that Putin promised when he came to office to a dictatorship of morality resembling the situation in […]
In Russia This Week, you will find links to all the stories of Russia Update in the last week and to special features, plus an article following up on the news and trending topics below. This Week’s Stories in Russia Update: – Russian Magazine Prices Go Up – Russian Grain Exporters Halting Purchases; Grain Remains […]
Staunton, November 13 – A remarkable change has come over Vladimir Putin in recent months, one that few anticipated but that carries with it some serious risks. He is no longer offering answers and plans; instead, the Kremlin leader is asking Russians to share his emotions over past events and the lack of respect he […]
Staunton, July 10 – Russian public opinion “is being prepared for a change in Kremlin policy” toward Ukraine, Moscow commentators say, with central government media now downplaying the need for and utility of force and playing up the ways in which Vladimir Putin can serve as “peacemaker.” But this shift in tone, which reflects increasing […]
Staunton, July 2 – Nikolay Tsukanov, the governor of Kaliningrad, says that people he suspects are Maidan activists are arriving in his region alongside genuine refugees from Ukraine and that they are being sent by Western “special services” to “unleash a Maidan” in that Russian exclave and others as well. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta today, […]
Staunton, March 17 — Many analysts in Russia and the West are seeking to explain what Vladimir Putin has done in Crimea in terms of a paradigm which no longer works, according to Moscow analyst Aleksandr Morozov, instead of recognizing that by his actions, Putin has shown himself to have fundamentally changed and to have fundamentally […]
