Tag: USSR

Sending Russian Troops into Ukraine Could Lead to World War, Former Soviet Defense Minister Says

June 23, 2014

Staunton, June 21 – If any more evidence were needed to prove that Vladimir Putin is far more reckless and aggressive than his predecessors at the end of Soviet times, it has been provided by Dmitry Yazov, who served as Soviet defense minister from May 1987 until being dismissed for his participation in the August […]

As Putin Pursues Imperial Goals, Fewer Russians Regret End of USSR

June 11, 2014

Staunton, June 11 – Even as Vladimir Putin pursues what many see as an effort to restore an empire centered on Moscow, polls show that ever fewer Russians regret the end of the Soviet Union – something the Kremlin leader has said was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century – and ever more […]

Civilization-Empire, Not Nation State, Proper Form for Russia and the East, Bagdasaryan Says

June 10, 2014

Staunton, June 9 – Many analysts in both Moscow and the West have argued that globalization points to the demise of the nation state as the most important actor in the international system, but almost all of them have suggested that they will nonetheless survive by means of enhanced cooperation among them. Now, however, and […]

Crimean Tatars View Russia as If It Were Still the Soviet Union, Zorin Says

May 24, 2014

Staunton, May 23 – Vladimir Zorin, a former Russian nationalities minister, says that the Crimean Tatars continue to think about themselves in terms drawn from the Soviet past but have infused these terms with anti-Soviet attitudes and that this contradiction explains many of their current problems. In an interview given to Yuliya Taratura of TV […]

Putin’s ‘Minimum Program’ is Restoration of USSR, Portnikov Says

April 28, 2014

Staunton, April 28 – Vladimir Putin’s moves against Ukraine are part of his larger plan not only to restore a country with the borders of the USSR but also to re-establish Moscow’s dominance in Eastern Europe and in Asia, according to Vitaly Portnikov in a comment to Gordunua.com. Putin clearly wants to occupy “all of […]

Putin’s Ukraine Policy Accelerating Russia’s ‘Disappearance,’ Gontmakher Says

April 16, 2014

Staunton, April 16 – Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, Yevgeny Gontmakher says, are accelerating the disappearance of Russia not so much in the sense of pointing to a change in its borders but rather with regard to the existence of a distinctive Russian society capable of surviving into the future. In an interview published by […]

Kremlin Would Infuriate Russians if It Limited Foreign Travel, Moscow Commentator Says

April 14, 2014

Staunton, April 14 – Given memories of Soviet times, Russians today especially value their right to travel abroad and are not “prepared” to give up that right, even though many are not in a position to exercise it and even if they accept some of Moscow’s warnings about the risks such travel may involve, according […]

Restoration of Something Like USSR Ultimately ‘Inevitable,’ Gorbachev Aide Says

April 12, 2014

Staunton, April 12 – Boris Slavin, an aide to former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, says that in his “personal” view, “sooner or later the restoration of a state like the USSR will be achieved,” although he said that “of course, this will not be a unification in the style of the Soviet Union.” He says […]

What Is Putin’s Ideology? Interpreter Podcast April 9 2014

April 9, 2014

This week, Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter Magazine’s managing editor James Miller discuss the Russian President Vladimir Putin. What drives him? Do we really understand him? How do Russians view the West, and what is Russia’s endgame in eastern Europe? We examine these questions through an article written by John Schindler called Obama […]

‘Oil Weapon’ Will Not Make Russia Go the Way of the USSR, Moscow Analysts Say

April 8, 2014

Staunton, April 8 – Many in both Moscow and the West believe that the US destroyed the USSR by driving down oil prices and could do the same thing with the Russian Federation now, but in fact, the West did not deploy the oil weapon that effectively in the past and could not do so […]