Section: Research Organizations & Think Tanks about Ukraine
West absent as Russia marks Victory Day
On 9 May, Russians celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The leaders of the Soviet Union’s allies in that conflict, Great Britain and the US, will not be present. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend. But of major Western leaders only German Chancellor Angela Merkel will go, not to the parade but to a...
The US-Russian Space Station Mission is a Study in Cooperation
As space becomes increasingly militarised, it will become crucial for states to coordinate extra-terrestrial activities. The unfortunate loss of the Russian Progress M-27M cargo vessel destined for the International Space Station (ISS) has highlighted the interdependence of the US and Russia in the project. Despite such setbacks, this...
Lukashenka’s Annual Address on the State of the Country
On April 29, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka delivered his annual address “to the people and the parliament.” By far the most frequently discussed excerpt from his remarks—however awkward and tangential it may have been to the actually significant topics of the 2-hour-and-40-minute speech—was Lukashenka’s digression devoted to the Jews....
Moscow Readying Neo-Cossacks of Belarus for Use Against Lukashenka
Moscow has had little or no success in mobilizing ethnic Russians as a whole in Belarus against the current government in Minsk: the local Russian community, in almost all cases, blends easily with the Belarusian majority. But there is one group within that community with which the Russian authorities appear to have had greater success—the small...
Moscow Displays New Military Hardware Amid Rising Tensions (Part Two)
Russia’s triumphal display of apparent military strength during the annual Victory Day Parade is partly aimed at masking the dearth of foreign leaders attending the 70th anniversary celebration of the end of the Great Patriotic War, as well as showcasing some advances in weapons and equipment modernization. Pride of place is given to the...
Russian Military Peeps Into Latvia, Moldovans Demand Action on Huge Bank Scandal
Plus, Finland’s Sanoma pulls out of Russian media market and an Uzbek Cold Warrior dies after a lifetime of struggle against communism. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Is NATO Ready for Putin?
Vladimir Putin has challenged the United States and its allies over the past year. The annexation of Crimea and then the intervention in Ukraine have been very difficult as Russia has far more at stake in these places than does the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]. That changes quite dramatically if we move slightly west and consider...
France to Refund Russia $1.2 billion for Non-Delivery of Mistral Helicopter Carriers
Russia’s March 17, 2014, annexation of Crimea plunged Russian-Western relations to their lowest level since the Cold War. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) subsequently imposed sanctions on Russia over its actions toward Ukraine. Notably, a pair of Mistral-class helicopter assault ships being built under a 2010 French...
Putin’s Political Pause Amid National Mobilization
As if trying to compensate for his recent “disappearance” in early March, President Vladimir Putin participated in a series of high-intensity meetings and public events last week. His domestic audiences included students and “heroes of labor”; instructions were issued to government ministers, members of the Security Council and even to the...
No War, No Peace—But Always a Place at the Table for Russia
Russia’s track record in the long-simmering conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is consistent with Russian efforts in Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls for a Novorossiya: No war, no peace—but always a place at the table for Russia. …read more Source: Atlantic...
