Russia’s Supreme Court has issued a final ruling that the presidential decree making secret information about military casualties in peace time is lawful. Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The previous issue is here. Recent Translations: –The […]
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs. For links to individual updates click on the timestamps. For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article: […]
Staunton, November 6 – Russians have significantly lower levels of trust than do other nations, especially in the major cities like Moscow where “only about one percent” trust anyone. But in small cities and rural areas, their levels of trust in others are somewhat greater. Indeed, commentator Pavel Pryannikov says, “the further one goes into […]
Staunton, November 10 – Speaking at the Valdai Club meeting this year, Vladimir Putin said that “trade and sanction wars are the reality of the contemporary global economy” and are “used among other things as instruments of unfair competition.” But he is wrong, Vladislav Inozemtsev says. “In the contemporary world, sanctions are not becoming the […]
Workers have sealed the entrance of the Lyubanka, the building that has housed Russia’s secret police for nearly a century, following an act of protest staged by artist Pyotr Pavlensky. Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The […]
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs. For links to individual updates click on the timestamps. For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article: […]
Staunton, November 6 – The Kremlin has taken control not only of public discussions about memory of the repressed and not only about any criticism of Stalin but also “criticism of the contemporary exaltation of Stalin,” lest that lead Russians to draw the obvious parallels between the late dictator and Vladimir Putin, according to Irina […]
Staunton, November 9 – Most people who predict the disintegration of the Russian Federation focus on ethnicity, but in fact, as the situation in Karelia shows, ethnicity plays a much smaller role in mobilizing the population to defend itself against Moscow than do competitive elections, Vadim Shtepa says. “Real regionalism,” the Karelian activist and commentator […]
Staunton, November 9 – Most observers focus on ethnic and religious issues as the drivers of protest in the North Caucasus, but in fact, North Caucasians have in addition to these concerns many other reasons to protest, some of which are typical of Russia as a whole and others regionally specific, according to Anton Chablin. […]
Staunton, November 9 – For Vladimir Putin, Viktor Kaspruk argues, “Ukraine is the key to a future Russia or more precisely a future Russian Empire,” and consequently, even if he has lowered the temperature in the Donbass in recent weeks, the Kremlin leader is likely to renew his attacks on Ukraine next year having first […]
