Archives: April 2016

Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 4 wounded in combat today, Andriy Lysenko, presidential spokesman for ATO issues said at a briefing.

A Baker’s Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories – No. 29 2016-04-30 02:25:09 Staunton, VA, April 29, 2016 – The flood of news stories from a country as large, diverse and strange as the Russian Federation often appears to be is far too large for anyone to keep up with. But there needs to be a way to […]

Those who study the post-Soviet world and especially its non-Russian parts are often struck by the fact that many who do so show an understanding or even sympathetic deference to Russia and Russian feelings while ignoring those of the peoples of living in countries near Russia and a tendency to forget or downplay the crimes of communism.

President Petro Poroshenko has dismissed the governor of the Lugansk region, Georgiy Tuka, and the head of the foreign intelligence service, Viktor Hvozd.

The Daily Vertical is a video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday. Viewers can suggest topics via Twitter @PowerVertical or on the Power Vertical Facebook page. A transcript of today’s Daily Vertical can be found here.

ON MY MIND From buzzing warplanes to trolling submarines to persistent nuclear posturing, Russia’s provocative behavior presents a dilemma for the West. Responding in kind to the Kremlin’s provocations risks inflating Moscow’s importance and giving Vladimir Putin the status he craves. But not responding, and not attaching a cost to these actions, could just encourage more […]

Police are investigating mass deaths of animals at a shelter in Moscow; 100 activists are blocking the building; one protester was beaten attempting to rescue an animal.

At least 50 people have been killed in an air strike on a hospital in Aleppo. The US condemned the Syrian Army and urged Russia to use its influence to stop the strikes. Russia denied involvement and blamed the ‘international coalition’.

The Daily Vertical is a video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday. Viewers can suggest topics via Twitter @PowerVertical or on the Power Vertical Facebook page. A transcript of today’s Daily Vertical can be found here.

ON MY MIND Apparently taking one Savchenko hostage wasn’t enough for Russia. They had to grab two. Just hours after the formal procedure to turn kidnapped Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko over to the Kyiv authorities was reported to have begun, Russia tried to nab her sister, Vira. Russian border guards seized the passport of […]