Vitaly Milonov is a prominent Russian conservative and member of the United Russia party. A staunch advocate of Russia’s controversial ban on “homosexual propaganda,” and he has also repeatedly made anti-Semitic statements, including during a session of the St. Petersburg legislative council in March. He is a prominent critic of the pro-EU Ukrainian movement, and […]
Ukraine At War
Ukraine Liveblog Day 52: Kiev Offers Amnesty to Separatists
With the deadline for separatists to vacate government buildings in eastern Ukraine approaching, the government in Kiev has offered amnesty for the gunmen if they surrender their arms. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this […]
Neither Putin Nor Obama Wants to Be Known as the One Who ‘Lost’ Ukraine, Mirsky Says
Staunton, April 9 – A major reason the crisis in Ukraine is now so dangerous, Georgy Mirsky says, is that “neither [Russian President Vladimir] Putin nor [US President Barack] Obama wants to go into history as the politician who ‘lost’ Ukraine, although [that country] does not belong to either the one or the other.” Crimea […]
What Is Putin’s Ideology? Interpreter Podcast April 9 2014
This week, Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter Magazine’s managing editor James Miller discuss the Russian President Vladimir Putin. What drives him? Do we really understand him? How do Russians view the West, and what is Russia’s endgame in eastern Europe? We examine these questions through an article written by John Schindler called Obama […]
Ukraine Liveblog Day 51: Separatists Given 48 Hour Deadline
Ukraine’s Interior Minister has given pro-Russian separatists who have taken over government buildings 48 hours to negotiate with authorities or they will be removed by force. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information […]
Ukraine Liveblog Day 50: Russia Warns of Civil War
In the last two days pro-Russian protesters have seized government buildings and held protests across eastern Ukraine. Now Russia accuses the government in Kiev of sparking a civil war. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing […]
Ukraine’s Muslims Don’t Want to Be Part of Russia
Staunton, April 8 – Muslims are quite comfortable living in Ukraine and have no interest in having the regions where they live be annexed to the Russian Federation where relations between Muslims and others are known to be far worse, according to a Daghestani native who has been living 35 years in Luhansk. Seyfulla Rashidov, […]
Putin’s Promises to Crimean Tatars Puts Roma in Play as Well
Staunton, April 8 – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s promise to secure the full rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars, a promise made to obscure Russian aggression and to try to attract the support of some in that nation for his occupation of their homeland, is echoing not only among the larger and more organized of the […]
Crimea-Induced Brain Drain Will Hurt Russia More than Sanctions, Gontmakher Says
Staunton, April 7 – The domestic consequences of Moscow’s Crimean policy combined with Russia’s weakening economic prospects will drive ever more young Russians to seek work and possibly permanent residence abroad, an “exodus” that will hurt the country far more than any of the sanctions announced so far, according to Yevgeny Gontmakher. In today’s Moskovsky […]
A New Non-Recognition Policy is Needed Now for Crimea
Staunton, April 8 – The United States and the West must put in place an updated version of the non-recognition policy they applied to the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to underscore our outrage at the use of Russian brute force in Ukraine to annex part or all of a neighboring state and […]