Tag: Europe

Putin’s Shift on Ukraine Result of His Visit to Beijing, Kazan Editor Says

May 25, 2014

Staunton, May 24 – Vladimir Putin began pulling Russian forces back from the Ukrainian border and distancing himself from the secessionists in east Ukraine after his visit to Beijing convinced him that China, however useful tactically, is a long-term threat to Russia and that Moscow needs the West as a counterbalance to Chinese power, according […]

Right-Wing Parties are Russia’s Fifth Column in Europe Against NATO and the US, Baburin Says

May 24, 2014

Staunton, May 18 – Sergey Baburin, a prominent leader of the Russian right, suggests that right-wing political parties in Europe now form a veritable fifth column for Russia on the continent which can be counted on to support Moscow against their leftist governments and against NATO and American policies as well. In an interview entitled […]

European Right is Not the Ally of Russia Putin Thinks, Shimov Says

May 20, 2014

Staunton, May 20 – No one should be surprised that “Vladimir Putin is finding a common language with that segment of European politicians who are playing on the sharpening of national feelings” both to strengthen their own domestic position and to promote myths about their nation’s pasts. But Yaroslav Shimov argues in Novaya Gazeta there […]

Language and Culture Not History ‘Main Unifying Factors’ for Russians, Valdai Club Says

April 24, 2014

Staunton, April 24 – The Russian language and Russian culture are today “the main unifying factor[s]” for the citizens of the Russian Federation, unlike history which continues to be a source of divisions given that different groups have different understandings of past events, according to the Valdai International Discussion Club. The Moscow Higher School of […]

Civic Russian Nationalism Being Promoted to Keep Ethnic Russians Down, Prosvirnin Says

April 14, 2014

Staunton, April 13 – Non-ethnic or civic Russian [rossiisky] nationalism isn’t nationalism at all but rather is a means to hold back genuine ethnic Russian [russky] nationalism and to keep it under the control of an authoritarian and pre-modern political system, according to the editor of Sputnik i Pogrom. In an article entitled Ethnic Russians […]

Assimilation of Russians by Other Nations ‘Not a Myth,’ Nationalist Says

Staunton, April 13 – For the last several years, many Russian commentators have talked about Russians who have converted to Islam and thereby become even more anti-Russian than ordinary Muslims. Now, a Russian nationalist is focusing on the reality that at least some ethnic Russians are assimilating to other nations and following the same path. […]

Crimea-Induced Brain Drain Will Hurt Russia More than Sanctions, Gontmakher Says

April 8, 2014

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 […]

Ukraine Still has a Chance to Be a European Country, But Russia has Lost that Opportunity, Belkovsky Says

March 21, 2014

Staunton, March 21 – Despite the patriotic fervor in Russia, much of it state-sponsored and likely to dissipate quickly, over the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, many Russians including those who identify themselves as nationalists and patriots are appalled by what Vladimir Putin has done because they already see clearly the damages arising from his policy. […]

Interview With EU Ambassador to Russia: Part 1

February 3, 2014

A pro-Kremlin Russian media outlet, Kommersant, has held a question and answer session with the EU’s ambassador to Russia, Vygaudas Ušackas, in which they discuss relations between Moscow and Brussels. This is the first part of the interview. The second part can be found here. – Ed. Several days before the latest Russian-European Union (EU) […]