At Inauguration, Putin Pledges Well-Being Amid Stormy Times
Opposition leader Navalny arrested in weekend protests against the four-term Russian president. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Would the Tribeca Film Festival also award a film starring Islamic State terrorists?
If not, then it should withdraw the top prize awarded to a film starring Russian writer / fighter Zakhar Prylepin who is taking part in Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine in Donbas. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Crimean savagely beaten for pro-Ukraine views gets 2-year prison sentence for ‘extremism’
Ihor Movenko has been sentenced by a court in Russian-occupied Sevastopol to two years in a minimum security prison for a comment on the VKontakte social network. The comments were only ‘noticed’ and a criminal prosecution launched after Movenko demanded an investigation into the brutal and unprovoked attack by a police officer that had...
How Western Condemnation Lets Russia Off the Hook
International criticism is shaping the strategic direction of Putin’s fourth term. From The Conversation. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Russia Ups Pressure on Telegram
Viber, another popular messenger app, could also be banned if it fails to turn over encryption keys, authorities warn. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
The Role of Private Military Contractors in Russian Foreign Policy
Private Russian military contractors operate not only in Syria and Ukraine but also in countries where Russian enterprises are investing. Although under Russian law, this type of organisation is prohibited—the State Duma again rejected a bill legalising them—unofficially they enjoy state support because they increase Russia’s military...
Crimean Tatar businessman & philanthropist seized in new FSB offensive in Russian-occupied Crimea
A prominent Crimean Tatar philanthropist and businessman and his sister have been seized after what Crimean Tatar Mejlis leader Refat Chubarov called a ‘”black Thursday’ of armed searches in Russian-occupied Crimea. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
French President Emmanuel Macron (MMF ’06): GMF Alumni Focus on the Future of Democracy
French President Emmanuel Macron (MMF ‘06) charmed both Republicans and Democrats during his official state visit to Washington last week, The Washington Post and numerous other outlets reported. Indeed, Macron has been both hailed and criticized as virtually the sole European leader able to forge good working relations with President Trump. The...
Ukraine’s Democracy Is Approaching ‘Make Or Break’ — And The West Is Missing In Action
Image credit: istockFeaturedvia The Washington PostRussian President Vladimir Putin is waging a global ideological war against Western liberal, democratic values. It has been underway for many years, and it extends from his own immediate neighborhood to Western Europe and, of course, the United States, where he intervened in the U.S. presidential...
Russia Launches First Floating Nuclear Plant
Intended to power a remote Arctic port, vessel sets off amid concern from Baltic countries, environmentalists. …read more Source: Transitions Online...