Archives: February 2016

LIVE UPDATES: Although Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov implied that Chechen spetsnaz had infiltrated ISIS, the Chechen government walked this back today, saying there were only Chechen volunteers in Syria. 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 […]

The number of attacks reported over the last 24 hours has dropped somewhat, but mortar use continues across the front line. 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 […]

Kadyrov, Putin and the Desensitization of Russia 2016-02-09 06:37:59 Staunton, VA, February 1, 2016 – Each day seems to bring a fresh outrage from Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin and their ilk, an outrage many dutifully denounce without connecting the dots and seeing the ways in which this drip-by-drip set of actions is making Russians and indeed many […]

Over the years, in addition to engaging with far right activists and politicians in the capacity of commentators and opinion-makers, various Russian media have developed structural relations with far-right media projects in France, Italy and Austria. Recently, new data has emerged suggesting that structural relations seem to be developing between the Slovak magazine Zem a […]

LIVE UPDATES: Last February, Russian hackers penetrated a Russian regional bank and were able to move the ruble-dollar conversion rate more than 15% in 15 minutes, according to Group-IB, a Moscow-based cybersecurity firm hired to investigate the attack Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including […]

NOTE: The Power Vertical Briefing is RFE/RL’s short look ahead to the stories expected to make news in Russia in the coming week. It is hosted by Brian Whitmore, author of the Power Vertical blog, and appears every Monday. Reports have surfaced that Vladimir Yakunin, a longtime crony of Vladimir Putin, is being investigated by […]

The Daily Vertical is an RFE/RL 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 edition of The Daily Vertical can be found here.

Fighting continues in the Donbass, with Ukraine reporting heavy mortar shelling in the Marinka area, where one Ukrainian soldier has been wounded. 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 […]

Fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine, though at lower levels than it has in the last few days. Meanwhile, the Dutch people could vote against Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, the main cause of the Euromaidan Revolution. Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. Please help The Interpreter to […]

The ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation] press center said the Russian-backed forces were stepping up their attacks on the eve of the “Normandy quartet” talks by the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine to be held February 13. A child was injured in fighting near Gorlovka. Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found […]