Missing for 5 days, the body of American student was found 1.5 km from his hotel in the mountainous terrain of Buryatia, Russia.
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 […]
Mass protests, violent attacks against the police, Molotov cocktails, stones, sticks, women and children… The scene could easily be mistaken for the Maidan early last year, but in fact it was a recent training operation by Russia’s Interior Ministry to prepare for just such an eventually on the streets of Moscow—Zaslon 2015. The scene of […]
Staunton, November 29 – In words that are clearly intended to intimidate but that may have just the opposite effect by exposing official nervousness, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev says that Moscow is ready to use its internal troops against any Maidan-like activity in any part of the Russian Federation. The minister told the military […]
President Vladimir Putin has fired 18 top law-enforcement officials in the Investigative Committee, Prosecutor General’s Office and the Interior Ministry. His sudden and secretive action has sparked some theories that it is somehow related to Ukraine — either punishing those who are poorly performing with regard to the aggression against Ukraine, or punishing those involved […]
Staunton, June 25 – Moscow has already imposed restrictions on Russian security service personnel from travelling abroad, but now interior officials in Kaliningrad are “overfulfilling the plan” and restricting the ability of police and procuracy officials in Kaliningrad from travelling to other parts of the Russian Federation unless they can accord to fly. According to […]
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks and during times of societal turmoil, it is quite common to see the introduction of security or emergency measures which give security services increased powers. Sometimes these powers are time-constrained and meant as a temporary measure to—at least publicly—reduce the constraints on the security services ability to counter terrorism, […]
Russia has long been a country identified with secretive and elite security and police agencies; from the Oprichina of Ivan the Terrible, the Okhrana of the Tsar’s, the Cheka and KGB of the Bolsheviks and Soviet Union, to the FSB of today. Due to the multitude of differing agencies, often times with varying levels of […]
In response to the “desecration” of the Russian national flag by the American rock band the Bloodhound Gang during a performance in Ukraine, Russia’s Interior Ministry (MVD) is seeking to file criminal charges and try the band’s bassist under Article 329 of the Russian Criminal Code. However, the band and the member under question are […]
Apparently the most beneficial credit to have on one’s resume in Russia today is a Judo background. A common attribute among many of Russia’s most powerful men, from business oligarchs to the leaders of the security apparatus, is a common affinity for Putin’s sport of choice. Currently there is much speculation regarding who will become […]
