Staunton, April 13 – The vehemence of Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s opposition to Moscow’s proposal for the federalization of Ukraine suggests that this Russian demand may not be an ad hoc position reflecting uniquely Ukrainian situation but part of a broader strategy to break and ultimately re-subordinate neighboring countries. Not only would such an approach […]
The gunfire has started. Last night there were several battles between police and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. This morning, Ukraine has announced an “anti-terrorist operation” in Slaviansk. All of this is made more concerning as evidence builds that suggests that some of these separatists are really members of the Russian military. Yesterday’s liveblog can […]
Staunton, April 12 – Boris Slavin, an aide to former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, says that in his “personal” view, “sooner or later the restoration of a state like the USSR will be achieved,” although he said that “of course, this will not be a unification in the style of the Soviet Union.” He says […]
Staunton, April 12 – If Kyiv were forced to introduce Russian-style federalism in Ukraine as Moscow is demanding, the consequences would be that “the sphere of use of the Russian language would not increase” as many imagine “but contract,” according to Kirill Yankov, a member of the Yabloko Party and a researcher at the Moscow […]
Staunton, April 12 – Vladimir Putin insists that his moves in Ukraine are motivated by a desire to protect ethnic Russians, Russian speakers and, Moscow’s latest category, “pro-Russian people” who do not want to live under Kyiv, a view that has been uncritically accepted by large numbers of Russians in the Russian Federation and by […]
Staunton, April 12 – The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has always used priests from Russia to spread its influence and that of Moscow more generally in the former Soviet republics, but now the Moscow Islamic University has announced a new twist on that tactic: it will train Russian-speaking mullahs for the Muslims […]
Staunton, April 12 – The Russian government is celebrating what it says is a success in its battle to reduce alcohol consumption by pointing to a decline of seven percent in vodka sales in 2013. But more than three out of four Russians say they are drinking as much or more as in the past, […]
This morning armed men stormed a police building in both Slaviansk and Krasni Liman. There are more concerning signs that Russia may be planning an invasion. Are we headed towards yet another stage of this crisis? Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. […]
The 48-hour deadline for pro-Russian separatists to leave the government buildings in eastern Ukraine that they occupied earlier in the week is expiring today. The separatists were offered amnesty, but rejected it yesterday. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The […]
Staunton, April 10 – The majority of Russians support the annexation of Crimea but do not understand the implications of that action and are “not willing to suffer the consequences,” according to Lev Gudkov, the head of the Levada Center, the leading independent polling group in the Russian Federation. In a report issued this week, […]
