Recently Stephen Sestanovich observed that whenever Putin faces a crisis he blames America and other governments for it. The latest example of this Putin tactic of misdirection and evasion is his claim that the US and other intelligence agencies actually conspired with Islamic terrorists to detach the North Caucasus from Russia. Although this charge will […]
Staunton, April 24 – Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s has made a statement that his forces should attack anyone, “Muscovite or Stavropol resident,” who might appear on the territory of the republic, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested that the Islamic State is Russia’s main enemy may presage the opening of a third post-Soviet […]
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. President Vladimir Putin finally appeared today at a news conference in St. Petersburg with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, but he said little and did not explain […]
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. The Kremlin has published a new picture of President Vladimir Putin reportedly meeting with the head of the Supreme Court today, but as throughout the week, […]
Staunton, March 8 – Despite his efforts, Vladimir Putin is not a remake of Stalin and thus could be overthrown in a coup because he has not only violated the social contract he had with the Russian people but has with the murder of Boris Nemtsov shown that he is prepared to kill members of […]
Staunton, July 23 – Europe will do everything it can to avoid taking a hard line against Vladimir Putin even after the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner lest that lead to a break with Russia and in a remarkably short time, the governments and publics in the West will forget about this crime, Vladimir […]
Staunton, July 23 – Those with access to Putin’s ear must convince him to change course now, before he crosses a line from which there is no return, because if such people who are now called an elite prove to be only a bunch of “greedy and frightened” people and do not do so, they […]
Staunton, July 23 – To the dismay of some and the surprise of others, Vladimir Putin used the Russian Security Council meeting July 22 to signal that he has no intention of changing course on Ukraine but instead will continue to maneuver, now stepping up his aggression and now portraying himself as a peacemaker, according […]
Staunton, June 23 – Because Vladimir Putin has blocked Russia’s evolution toward democracy, the Kremlin leader and with him Russia as a whole has lost the chance for a peaceful and orderly succession, Boris Akunin says. Instead, the Putin era “will in any case end badly,” either via “a palace coup or a social explosion” […]
