LIVE UPDATES: TASS reports that more than 160 fighters from Ingushetia have joined ISIS, according to Ingushetia’s Internal Minister Aleksandr Trofimov. 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 Analysis and Translations: – […]
When opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, the charismatic former deputy prime minister and exposer of Kremlin corruption in the Olympic Games, was assassinated last year, President Vladimir Putin was widely misreported as taking “personal control” of the investigation. In fact, as his spokesman Dmitry Peskov later explained, Putin had assigned the heads of Russia’s three top […]
A number of different scenarios for how opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was assassinated on February 27, 2015 have been published in both the independent and pro-Kremlin Russian media this past year, notably by RosBalt, Novaya Gazeta, Moskovsky Komsomolets and REN-TV. The heads of the Investigative Committee, Federal Security Service and Interior Ministry were tasked by […]
Russians Adjust to Increasing Poverty like Frogs to Gradually Warming Water, Kirillova Says 2016-02-23 18:31:57 Staunton, VA, February 23, 2016 — It has long been claimed that a frog who might jump out of a port of boiling water will stay quietly in a gradually warming pot, even though as a result, he will end up dead. […]
The Daily Vertical is an RFE/RL video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday. Viewers can suggest topics via Twitter @PowerVertical or on the Power Vertical Facebook page. A transcript of today’s Daily Vertical can be found here.
Chechnya’s mercurial leader Ramzan Kadyrov will be back in the news this week as the first anniversary of Boris Nemtsov’s assassination approaches and Russia’s opposition prepares to release a lengthy report on his activities. On this week’s Power Vertical Briefing, we look at the likely impact of opposition leader Ilya Yashin’s upcoming report, titled National Security […]
LIVE UPDATES: An opposition report based on both open sources and the testimony of sources who fear revealing their names details the alarming growth of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s “personal army” to 30,000 men and the atmosphere of intimidation that reigns in the republic. Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely […]
Extra-Systemic Opposition Unlikely to Be Able to Make Kadyrov an Issue, Poll Suggests 2016-02-24 16:17:17 Staunton, VA, February 20, 2016 – Some Moscow commentators have been expecting the extra-systemic opposition to make an issue of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his outrageous behavior – a few have even suggested that might influence Vladimir Putin’s decision on the […]
LIVE UPDATES: Although Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov implied that Chechen spetsnaz had infiltrated ISIS, the Chechen government walked this back today, saying there were only Chechen volunteers in Syria. 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 […]
The Power Vertical is a column and podcast by RFE/RL’s Brian Whitmore. He’s like a cartoon villain, except that he’s real. He can be pretty amusing, except when he’s terrifying. He’s a bit of a clown and more than a bit childish, but he’s also one of the most powerful men in Russia. It’s pretty […]
