Yanukovych switches story about letter Putin used to justify Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pulled out of Russian hiding on March 2 for a press conference seemingly aimed at denying that he had ‘really’ asked for Russian troops to be sent into Ukraine. His rather confused denial follows the about-face by Russia regarding this same letter which was used quite unambiguously back in...
Matthew Rojansky interviews Ksenia Sobchak, Russian presidential candidate
Matthew Rojansky of the Kennan Institute sits down with Ksenia Sobchak, candidate for President of the Russian Federation, to discuss her trip to Washington, U.S.-Russia relations, Ukraine, her political platform and the 2018 Russian presidential election. …read more Source: Woodrow Wilson International Center for...
Constructing a Political Nation in Ukraine
The annexation of Crimea and subsequent armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine have radically changed the Ukrainian political landscape. In their new book Constructing a Political Nation: Ukraine in the Wake of Russian Aggression, co-authors Oleksiy Haran and Irina Bekeshkina explore how the war has changed Ukrainians’ attitudes, politics, and...
Independent probe into arrest & death of 83-year-old Crimean Tatar veteran amid persecution of men who were helping her
When a case that began with the arrest and death of an 83-year-old veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement seems to have hit rock bottom, Russia’s FSB proves it can sink even lower. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Russian Historian Accused Of ’Religious Hatred’ Over Account Of Solovki Gulag
Historian Yury Brodsky sees the far northern Solovki Archipelago as a kaleidoscopic microcosm of Russia. That diversity, Brodsky says, is now in danger from the Russian Orthodox Church, supported by the state, which is trying to transform it into a monoculture, literally and figuratively whitewashing the islands and their significance....
Trial begins of two C14 far-right activists accused of killing controversial journalist Oles Buzyna
Almost three years after Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzyna was shot dead near his home in Kyiv, two men have gone on trial, charged with his murder. If Buzyna was a highly controversial figure, so too is ‘C 14′, the far-right organization that the suspects – Andriy Medvedko and Denis Polishchuk – are linked with. …read more Source:...
The Truth Behind the Russian Embassy to the Netherlands’ “Russia’s Strength is in Truth” Branding Proposal
On February 9 2018 the Russian Embassy to the Netherlands tweeted their suggestion for a brand “describing Russia’s position in world affairs”: It’s unclear if this was an attempt at humour, as in world affairs it would be fair to say Russia’s greatest weakness is in truth, as the work of Bellingcat and others has repeatedly...
Poland’s War With Israel
Israel, as an enemy, has been chosen perfectly. It is ruled by right-wing populists, so it has been possible to accurately predict the mirror mechanism of sharp reactions. And that is what Jarosław Kaczyński wanted. Nothing consolidates power better than war. A war undermines any internal divisions within a country and removes all citizens’...
Poroshenko accused of creating a weapon against critical NGOs, like in Russia & Kazakhstan
Ukrainian civic activists have expressed anger over public claims made by the President’s spokesperson that two contentious bills imposing extensive reporting requirements on NGOs, though not, for example, political parties, have been agreed with civic organizations …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Armed Conflict in 2017 Part Three: 2018 Forecasts for the Rohingya Crisis and Ukraine.
Predicting the future trajectory of armed conflict is a notoriously difficult task, even when limited to a period of only one year. Events internal to a country are capable of producing unwelcome surprises: in the DRC we have witnessed the Kasai region plummet into horrendous violence that began over the matter of a local succession, at a time...
