Vladislav Surkov’s dismissal from the post of vice premier and head of the government bureaucracy was the main political event of the past week. In this article, The New Times explores who or what forced the once-powerful Kremlin political guru to finish his nearly 14-year career in the highest bodies of the government. “Surkov felt […]
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Ex-Soviet Intelligence Officer Calls CIA Spy Case ‘Badly Staged Comedy’
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on May 14 that it had detained a U.S. diplomat in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian counterterrorism officer. The incident is one of the strangest spy scandals involving Russia in recent memory
Siluanov Sees No Way to Increase Spending
The government has no room to raise spending, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Wednesday, stoking a debate over whether fiscal stimulus should be deployed to revive flagging economic growth.
Rosbank CEO Held in Corruption Probe
The chief executive of Societe Generale’s Russian unit was detained Wednesday on suspicion of taking bribes, dealing a blow to one of the few foreign banks that has dared to challenge Russia’s dominant state banks.
Why Syria Brought David Cameron to Sochi
On Friday May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin received British Prime Minister David Cameron in Sochi, and later thanked him for a very candid conversation. Almost all of this candor was related to Syria. Meanwhile, David Cameron did not send any message to US President Barack Obama, although many experts had spoken of this on […]
Khodorkovsky May Be Freed Under Amnesty This Year
Imprisoned businessmen Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev may be released as early as this year under an amnesty for entrepreneurs that President Vladimir Putin will discuss at a meeting with business leaders next week.
Russian bird lovers targeted as “foreign agents”
An organisation behind a nature reserve dedicated to the protection of Russia’s cranes has been ordered to register as “a foreign agent” under the country’s non-governmental organisation law. The case highlights how arbitrary implementation is chilling free expression in the country, Andrei Aliaksandrau reports.
FSB Officials Detain Alleged CIA Agent in Moscow
Federal Security Service (FSB) agents arrested an alleged CIA agent who was accused of trying to recruit a Russian officer to work as a US agent. Ryan C. Fogle was the third secretary in the political section at the US Embassy in Moscow. As reported by Interfax agency, “Late at night on May 13, FSB […]
Russia to Expel U.S. Diplomat
Russian authorities on Tuesday expelled an American they accused of being a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency officer operating under diplomatic cover in Moscow, alleging that he attempted to recruit a member of the Russian intelligence services involved in antiterrorism work.
Why INTERPOL Refused to Catch Givi Targamadze
On Saturday, Givi Targamadze returned to Georgia from Lithuania. This usually normal event turned out to be a sensation for the Russian state-controlled media, which featured headlines such as: “Disorders on Bolotnaya: Givi Targamadze Hides Out in Georgia.” But where should he be? He has a family and a job in Georgia. What is the […]