Ukraine

Yes Russia Controls Crimea, and Yes Those Really are Russian Troops

March 13, 2014

Other than the repeated denunciations of the west aggravating the situation by a coterie of Russian government officials (Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu dismissed claims that Russian troops were in Crimea as an “act of provocation” and “utter nonsense”), one would be hard pressed to find any serious commentator still denying that the troops blockading Ukrainian […]

Ukraine Liveblog Day 23: Ukraine’s Interim Prime Minister Meets Obama

March 12, 2014

The Ukrainian Prime Minister meets with President Barack Obama, while the Russian government works to control the message on Ukraine. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation […]

Yarosh is Spoiling for a Fight

The article below has new-found significance. It was published by the Russian government-operated daily newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, seen as a direct mouthpiece for the Kremlin. The piece has added significance because the Russian government has warned the independent media outlet Lenta.ru over an interview they conducted with Ukrainian Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh. Now, without […]

The Russian Media and Ukraine | Interpreter Podcast March 11 2014

Last week several RT.com anchors, Abby Martin and Liz Wahl, criticized Russia’s intervention into Ukraine. Liz went further, quitting the Russian state-owned news/propaganda outlet and slamming both RT and the Russian government in the press. This week, Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter Magazine’s managing editor James Miller examine the media coverage of the […]

The Backlash of Moral Equivalency on Ukraine

With strong statements from the US State Department countering Kremlin propaganda like “President Putin’s Fiction: 10 False Claims About Ukraine” and “Setting the Record Straight on Ukraine” coming from the US Embassy in Kiev, it didn’t take long for some commentators to appear with a “plague on both their houses.” The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an […]

Ukraine Liveblog Day 22: Kiev Establishes a New National Guard

While the world waits to see what happens after Crimea’s March 16th referendum on joining Russia, there is plenty of activity in Ukraine. Russia continues to establish its stronghold in Crimea, while Kiev is arresting former government officials and has now issued arrest warrants for leaders of the Crimean government. Meanwhile, both sides continue to […]

Ukraine Liveblog Day 21: A Crackdown on Crimean Tatars?

March 10, 2014

As Russian troops continue to swell on the Crimean peninsula, and dueling rallies were held both in support and in resistance to Russian activity there, there are new claims that Crimean Tatars may be targeted by local Crimeans before this crisis is resolved. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of […]

Ukraine Liveblog Day 20: A Military Standoff

March 9, 2014

Yesterday, Russian troops advanced north of Crimea, taking new territory and digging in along the southern border of the mainland. A wall of troops, APCs, and landmines, now lay between mainland Ukraine the the Crimean peninsula. More Russian troops have flooded Crimea, and there are signs of even more deployments on the peninsula. The Ukrainian […]

Ukraine Liveblog Day 19: Nerves of Steel Tested

March 8, 2014

Last night, Russian troops and Crimean paramilitaries stormed a Ukrainian base near Sevastopol, Crimea. Despite the increasingly aggressive activity of the Russian forces in Crimea, the Ukrainian military has not surrendered, and has not fired at their assaulters — perhaps staving off a civil war. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and […]