Staunton, October 1 – Anatoly Makarov, the head of the Russian foreign ministry department for work with compatriots, says Moscow is doing everything it can to make “our multi-million strong diaspora a reliable partner of Russia, from which we have the read to expect deep internal moral support and understanding of our foreign policy initiatives.” […]
Staunton, September 25 – Western leaders may still refer to Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka as “the last dictator in Europe,” but in the wake of the events in Ukraine, they will not do anything to challenge him that might lead to instability in Belarus, according to a Mensk analyst just back from a visit to […]
Staunton, September 19 – Putin’s promotion of a “special path” for Russia not only is setting his country on the path to isolation and decay but also triggering a new clash of civilizations in Europe by shifting “the civilizational border” in Europe westward away from its borders, according to Yevgeny Ikhlov. In a 3,000-word essay […]
Staunton, September 10 – This week, the Republic of Tuva or Tyva as it is also known marked the 100th anniversary of “the union of the republic with Russia,” an event that sparked various events including academic conferences and the erection of a new monument to the center of Asia as well as attracting various […]
Igor Strelkov (aslo known as Igor Girkin) is the leader of the pro-Russian rebels in East Ukraine, who he has been suspected of being responsible for the downing of MH17 and of ordering mass executions in Slavyansk. His work for the Russian military intelligence (GRU) has been well documented, and the media has been keen […]
Staunton, July 28 – Moscow commentators like to talk about the existence of “two, three or even more Ukraines” and argue that Ukraine will disintegrate, Igor Losev says, but the reality is that there are far more ‘Russias’ than that, and the Russian Federation is thus at far greater risk of falling apart. In a […]
Staunton, July 28 – Vladimir Putin is ensuring himself ideologically against a nationalist challenge to himself if Russian militants fighting in Ukraine are forced to return to the Russian Federation where their popularity among many Russians, thanks to the Kremlin’s earlier ideological effort, remains extremely high, according to Yevgeny Ikhlov. The Moscow commentator says that […]
Staunton, July 27 – In a Facebook post that has been picked up by various Armenian outlets, Tigran Khemalyan, a noted filmmaker, sharply criticizes those ethnic Armenians who have become more Russian than the patriarch and who are promoting Russian great power attitudes of hostility and suspicion to everything non-Russian. Among these “’prophets’ of Russism,” […]
Staunton, July 20 – Russian national character like that of any other people changes over time, and those who insist otherwise, including some in Moscow, are engaging in a self-fulfilling prophecy intended to keep Russians from changing themselves and their society in ways that would be good for both, according to Vladimir Rimsky, a sociologist […]
Staunton, July 17 – Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Ukraine appears to have united most Russians, but it has introduced or at least highlighted a deep split among Russian nationalists, some of whom support his actions and others very much oppose, to the point that people calling themselves “Russian nationalists” are now on both sides of […]
