Staunton, May 27 – Thanks to the presidential elections, Ukraine has received “a breathing space,” but that space won’t last long, Yuri Felshtinsky says, because “Putin’s Ukrainian complex can be compared only with Stalin’s Polish complex and Hitler’s Jewish complex.” The last several months have demonstrated, the Russian historian says, that “one must not believe […]
Staunton, May 16 – – Russia has a great deal of boldness and nuclear weapons, but it doesn’t have a Peter the Great, Valeriya Novodvorskaya says. Instead, it has Vladimir Putin who instead of opening a window to Europe as the tsar did is playing the role of an Old Believer as in the Khovanshchina […]
Staunton, May 11 – “The criminal actions of Putin’s spetsnaz forces in Ukraine” are modelled on the actions of Stalin’s special force in Ukraine during World War II,” says Gennady Poberezhny in a review of a 2012 Russian study of “Stalin’s Commandos” and their operations against Ukrainian partisan forces. Yesterday, Andrey Illarionov posted a review […]
Tomorrow is Victory Day, the Soviet holiday commemorating the defeat of the Nazis. Pro-Russian rallies are planned across the region. Sunday is May 11, the proposed date for the separatists’ referendum on greater autonomy for eastern Ukraine. Will these events increase tensions and further divide Ukraine? Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview […]
One day after Ukraine’s interim President said his government was “helpless” against Russian-backed militants who keep capturing government buildings, Russia warns Ukraine to withdraw its own troops from the border. 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 […]
Staunton, April 17 – Given the Kremlin’s promotion of traditional family values and Russian interest in all things Putin, a distant relative of the Kremlin leader has put out a second edition of his genealogy of the family, the presentation of which in Moscow this week speaks volumes about Vladimir Putin’s real family values. Reporting […]
Last night pro-Russian gunmen tried to take over a military base in Mariupol, but they were met with a hail of gunfire. At least 3 were killed in the attack, and today there are more reports of violence in that city. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing […]
Staunton, March 29 – Many have drawn parallels between what Vladimir Putin is doing and how the West is reacting with the Cold War or with the appeasement policies of Munich. But now that Putin has carried out the Crimean Anschluss, a far better analogy for today may be to “the phony war” between the […]
Staunton, March 22 — Since World War II, Western governments have often imposed sanctions to show their displeasure about this or that action, but such sanctions “never were effective” in returning the world to “the status quo ante.” Instead, they highlighted the lack of accord within the West and were even used by powers like […]
Russia has officially annexed Crimea, and Ukrainian forces stationed in military bases on the peninsula have until Friday to evacuate to mainland Ukraine. 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 service by making a donation towards […]
