Russia’s GDP shrank by 4.6% in quarter two, and oil hit a six-month low on Monday morning. Are there signs that the Russian economy can rally? Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The previous issue is here. […]
Staunton, December 17 – Every political joke is a small revolution, Soviet dissidents often said, and consequently, the anecdotes Russians tell one another about the situations they find themselves in may provide a better indication of where they are at and what they expect than any poll. Today, Yevgeny Babushkin posts six such anecdotes about […]
In the last two days we have witnessed an incredible, rapid, steep, and perhaps unstoppable collapse in the value of the ruble. As of 9:15 AM Eastern today, the ruble is down more than 13%. By the time I publish this, that figure will be out of date. One look at today’s graph shows that […]
Staunton, November 29 – The continuing decline in oil prices, a political move by the West against Moscow, should cause Russians to recall Stalin’s warning in 1931 that “we are 50 to 100 years behind the advanced countries and must catch up within ten years. Either we will do that or they will crush us,” […]
Staunton, May 1 – Fewer than one Russian in five has been beyond the borders of what was the Soviet Union in the last five years, and only one in 16 currently travels abroad on a regular basis. But the declining value of the ruble as a result of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and Western […]
Welcome to The Interpreter’s Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Liveblog. Here, we will be covering the news away from the ski jumps and ice rinks, where activists are being arrested, corruption looms large, and the terrorist threat is very real. See all of our Sochi coverage here, and read Wednesday’s Sochi Liveblog: Hot Environment and Jailed […]
