Tag: Western sanctions

Putin’s Misreading of Situation Behind Hardening of West’s Position on Ukraine, Portnikov Says

June 14, 2015

Staunton, June 13 – The toughening of the West’s position on Ukraine very much in evidence at the G7 meeting reflects the fact that Vladimir Putin has fundamentally misread the situation and not taken advantage of the face-saving measures which the West had been offering him, according to Vitaly Portnikov. The Kremlin leader “sincerely believed […]

Moscow Can’t Maintain Current Levels of Military Spending for Much Longer, Guriyev Says

May 26, 2015

Staunton, May 24 — The Russian government cannot afford to maintain its current levels of military spending for long because its shift of resources to the military sector is threatening the rest of the Russian economy and because its reserve fund will be insufficient to pay for this spending for more than another year or […]

Russia’s Emerging Holy War

January 26, 2015

At the beginning of this week, President Barack Obama explained that Russia, hit hard by Western sanctions, is losing in its confrontation with the West and NATO caused by Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. In his State of the Union address, Obama displayed similar swag and bluster against both the Kremlin and Congressional Republicans, seemingly […]

Ukraine Update Day 278: Lavrov Says Western Sanctions Are About Regime Change In Moscow

November 22, 2014

Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs. View Ukraine: April, 2014 […]

A Return to the Russia of Five-Year Plans? At Least in the North Caucasus

July 3, 2014

Staunton, July 3 – Yesterday, Izvestiya reported that Vladimir Putin has signed a law under the terms of which the government will engage in strategic planning in five-year intervals to promote “improving the standard of living of the population, the growth of the Russian economy and the guaranteeing of the security of the country”. This […]

Autarchy Imposed or Chosen Would Seriously Harm Russians, Moscow Commentator Says

July 1, 2014

Staunton, June 30 – Western sanctions and Ukraine’s decision to end arms exports to Russia have already hurt some sectors of the economy and prompted some to call for making Russia completely independent of the international economy, but such moves, a Moscow commentator says, would only make Russia’s current problems even worse. Viktor Dyatlovich, a […]