Archives

Ethnic Russians Displacing Representatives of Titular Nationalities in Non-Russian Republic Governments 2016-03-03 20:16:41 Staunton, VA, February 14, 2016 — Moscow’s moves against non-Russian language education and the prerogatives of non-Russian republics have generated a great deal of anger among non-Russians and attracted widespread attention. But the center’s effort to install ethnic Russians in government positions that […]

Continuation of Western Sanctions on Russia Increasingly Depends on Ukraine, Ogryzko Says 2016-02-29 17:28:50 Staunton, VA, February 29, 2016 —   The maintenance of Western sanctions is contingent upon Ukraine’s willingness to reform itself, according to former Ukrainian foreign minister Vladimir Ogryzko. If Ukraine does not act, the West will ultimately lift the sanctions; and Ukraine […]

Putin Popular Abroad for Same Reasons Hitler was Before World War II, Ikhlov Says 2016-02-29 17:37:27 Staunton, VA, February 28, 2016 — Many Russians are surprised by how popular Vladimir Putin is in the West given all his anti-Western statements and actions, but they shouldn’t be, Yevgeny Ikhlov says, because as “the Hitler of today,” he pleases […]

Medvedev Visit to Kaliningrad Underscores Moscow’s Worries about Future of Exclave 2016-03-02 03:05:13 Staunton, VA, February, February 27, 2016 – One month before Kaliningrad is to lose many of the tariff concessions they have benefited from over the last decade, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and virtually the entire Russian government travelled to the Russian enclave to discuss the […]

A Baker’s Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories – No. 24 2016-02-29 18:43:10 Staunton, VA, February 26, 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 […]

Emil Pain on Why Many Post-Soviet Jewish Émigrés from Russia Back Putin’s ‘Russian World’ 2016-02-25 20:22:02 Staunton, VA, February 25, 2016 – Unlike the Jews who left the Soviet Union, many Jews who have left Russia and other CIS countries have not integrated into their new countries of residence, maintain close ties with the countries […]

Putin Engages in Nuclear Brinksmanship Because His Military is So Backward, Felgengauer Says 2016-02-24 19:31:29 Staunton, VA, February 24, 2016 – Vladimir Putin has revived nuclear brinksmanship as a method of statecraft because the Russian military is so far behind the level of NATO forces, according to Pavel Felgengauer. In fact, in any clash between the two, […]

Russians Adjust to Increasing Poverty like Frogs to Gradually Warming Water, Kirillova Says 2016-02-23 18:31:57 Staunton, VA, February 23, 2016 — It has long been claimed that a frog who might jump out of a port of boiling water will stay quietly in a gradually warming pot, even though as a result, he will end up dead. […]

Officialese, Not Imported Words, Biggest Threat to Russian Language, Journalist Says 2016-02-24 16:13:09 Staunton, VA, February 22, 2016 –  Commenting on a new study by the Pushkin Institute of Russian language knowledge by officials at various levels, Marina Koroleva says that the greatest threat to the national language is not foreign borrowings, jargon or curse words […]

Designer of Lenin’s Mausoleum was Orthodox Christian, Architectural Historian Says 2016-03-02 02:55:51 Staunton, VA, February 21, 2016 — In what may constitute a last-ditch defense of keeping Lenin in the mausoleum on Red Square, a Russian architectural historian points out that the man who designed that building was an Orthodox Christian who before the revolution had served […]