Section: Intersection (EU)
Забыть про Крым не получится
Russia / World Пока в России все активно обсуждали арест уже бывшего министра экономического развития Алексея Улюкаева, произошло два знаковых, на мой взгляд, события. Прокурор Международного уголовного суда (МУС) Фату Бенсуда в опубликованном докладе квалифицировала аннексию Крыма как международный вооруженный конфликт и оккупацию территории...
The Turkish Stream Agreement and What It Means
Economy On October 10, in the margins of the 23rd World Energy Congress being held in Istanbul, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement confirming common intentions to proceed with construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline, after bilateral relations improved following a...
What are the Kremlin’s next moves with Kiriyenko on board?
Politics The recent appointment of Sergey Kiriyenko as the Kremlin’s First Deputy Chief of Staff prompted a tide of contradictory opinions. Some observers believe he is capable of offering a more meaningful and rational agenda to the Kremlin in terms of domestic policy. Others feel that the country is about to enter an insane era of...
The country of little “Putins”, or the “Trojan horse” of Putin’s regime
Society The Night Wolves’ sharp rebuff to presidential press-secretary Dmitry Peskov; the State Duma deputies’ frightening devotion to fighting Natalia Poklonskaya’s enemies; Vladimir Markin waving his fists while on a “rest break”; Ramzan Kadyrov, already such a familiar face, going way beyond all standards of decency… A new...
Hybrid operation “Montenegro”
Russia / Europe Moscow’s attempt to influence the outcome of the parliamentary election in Montenegro in order to stall the country’s accession to NATO due to take effect in 2017 has led to accusations that Russia is plotting “a bloody scenario” aimed at destabilizing the Balkans. The Montenegrin election was mired by a “terrorist...
Presumption of confrontation
Russia / World Recent events have given rise to the claim that “the world is on the verge of a new arms race and another cold war”. Russia is perceived by many politicians in the West as a resurgent “evil empire”. Are such statements well-grounded and how might this new confrontation end? Most political scientists both in Russia and abroad are...
Russia is bankrolling a “global revolution”…its citizens will manage somehow
Economy A witty ditty, popular back in the Soviet days, had it that Fidel Castro should return Russian oil and take back his sugar before proceeding to go forth and multiply. Actually, Soviet policy is one of the reasons why Russia inherited a serious problem which must be handled alongside contemporary quandaries created by the Russian...
Russia is bankrolling a global revolution… its citizens will manage somehow
Economy A witty ditty, popular back in the Soviet days, had it that Fidel Castro should return Russian oil and take back his sugar before proceeding to go forth and multiply. Actually, Soviet policy is one of the reasons why Russia inherited a serious problem which must be handled alongside contemporary quandaries created by the Russian...
Assessing combat readiness: preparation for war or a means of exerting power? власти?
Security Russia’s leadership carried out its latest, and so far, largest test of combat readiness of its armed forces in late August 2016 which subsequently developed into an equally extensive series of military exercises: “Caucasus 2016”. The last drill of this kind took place in February 2016. The objectives of these measures were very...
The death of a mercenary
Russia / Europe The largest project aimed at mobilizing Russian society was initiated on Russian TV three years ago. This initiative was de jure unofficial but was de facto state sponsored: public officials and politicians were ushered onto TV sets in their droves to talk about the war in the Donbas being “another Battle of Stalingrad”, spouting...
