Staunton, March 6 – The alliance of reformers in the CPSU nomenklatura and Soviet liberals who were prepared for various reasons to cooperate with them led to the defeat of the dissidents who rejected the system as a whole and condemned Russia again to suffer once again a return “to the ideology of Russian imperialism […]
Window on Eurasia
First Putin Marginalizes His Critics, Then He Kills Them, and Then He Shifts the Blame
Staunton, March 1 – The horror and revulsion all people of good will feel about the murder of Boris Nemtsov in the shadow of the Kremlin has led many to treat this latest crime as if it were something new. In fact, the killing of Nemtsov is only the latest example of Vladimir Putin’s much-tested […]
Sources, Not Conclusions of Nemtsov’s Research on Ukraine Frightened Kremlin, Samoylova Says
Staunton, March 6 – The Kremlin had no reason to be afraid of the impact of Boris Nemtsov’s conclusion that there are Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. Despite Moscow’s denials, everyone knows that is the case. But it did have reason to be worried about the sources of his information: the mothers of soldiers who […]
Hungary Helping Moscow Destabilize Ukraine From the West
Staunton, March 5 – Budapest has announced that it has handed out Hungarian citizenship papers to 94,000 people in Trans-Carpathia in Western Ukraine in expedited fashion. The Hungarian official responsible for nationality policy says that this is part of a broader effort to boost the size of the country’s population and points out that two-thirds […]
Where Will Putin Strike Next?
Staunton, March 5 – The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize, to suggest that old rules and old expectations no longer apply and thereby increase uncertainty and fear. That explains why someone like Kseniya Sobchak has suggested that she is next on Putin’s list now that the Kremlin has killed Boris Nemtsov and why an […]
Who Will ‘Swallow Up’ the Jewish Autonomous Oblast – Khabarovsk Region or China?
Staunton, March 5 – Two weeks ago, Vladimir Putin named Aleksandr Levintal to head the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) in the Russian Far East, an action that Konstantin Kalachev says has reopened talk about the future of a region rich in natural resources but which “in fact is cut off from the rest of Russia” […]
With Murder Of Nemtsov, Putin ‘Catches Up And Surpasses’ Mussolini
Staunton, March 5 – With the murder of Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin has caught up with and surpassed Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, according to Igor Eidman, by casting off all moral constraints as Andrey Zubov suggests and putting him on the road to becoming “the most dangerous man in the history of civilization” in […]
Putin’s ‘Greatest Task’ Is To Become a New Stalin
Staunton, March 5 – On the 62 anniversary of his death today, Stalin continues to cast an ever darker shadow over Russia, sparking debates about how he should best be remembered. But beyond these symbols, the influence of Stalin on the thinking of Vladimir Putin and his regime is increasingly obvious and strong, as Moscow […]
Putin’s Strategy: Involve West in Undermining Ukraine so Ukrainians Will Despise It Too
Staunton, March 4 – Vladimir Putin’s Anschluss of Crimea and continuing aggression against Ukraine means that Ukrainians will never again accept ethnic Russians as “a fraternal people” or be prepared to defer to Moscow unless they are compelled to by forces beyond the capacity of today’s Russia to field. Instead, they will continue to pursue […]
Ten Disturbing Developments In And Around Russia
Staunton, February 27 – Disturbing events are happening with such dizzying speed that it is impossible to keep up with all of them. Indeed, this flood seems to be part of the Kremlin’s strategy to overload everyone’s cognitive system so that no adequate assessment or response can be developed or employed. The last few days […]