Vladimir Putin is often written about as a devisive figure, alienating and attacking his enemies and generally isolating Russia from the rest of the world. His policies towards the Ukraine are a perfect example of how he would rather punish those who don’t support Russia than pursue policies that build partnerships. And his doubling-down on […]
Many people across the globe are debating Syria, and the content of Vladimir Putin’s editorial in the New York Times. However, in Snob.ru, a Russian online magazine with a somewhat more liberal slant, the debate is not just about the content of the editorial, but about the wisdom of reportedly paying a PR company to […]
The following is a translation of the breakdown of the official Moscow mayoral election results by district. Some key facts pop out right away. In the Gagarinsky, where independent monitors reported the fewest amount of irregularities, Navalny actually beat Sobyanin. Furthermore, he scored 7% points higher than Putin’s opponent in the 2012 Presidential election. In […]
While most eyes have been on the Moscow mayoral race as the September 8 election, a greater drama is playing out in Russia’s regional elections. Across the country, from Zabaikalsky Krai to Arkhangelsk, the fate of United Russia is being decided. After nearly two decades as the prevailing power of a dominant party system, United […]
Vladimir Putin would like Barack Obama to come Russia so they could “talk and discuss the outstanding issues”, but he sees “no disaster”, if that meeting doesn’t happen. This is what the Russian president said in an interview to the “First Channel” and the Associated Press news agency. He explained that the contacts between the […]
Vladimir Putin has stated that Alexei Navalny’s sentence in the Kirovles affair is not at all related to his opposition activity and cites several episodes proving – in the president’s opinion – that there was normal “violation of current law” by Navalny. The New Times has fact-checked Putin’s statement. In an interview with Channel One […]
On September 8th, this upcoming Sunday, Moscow will pick its next mayor. No Russian election in many years has attracted as much national and international buzz as this race. Sergei Sobyanin, the acting mayor and a member of Putin’s party United Russia was facing serious political challenge in the upstart blogger-turned-politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny is […]
Yesterday, the evening news on all the federal TV channels came out with a message about the development of the transport infrastructure of Moscow and the Moscow region. President Vladimir Putin visited the construction site of the Northern Bypass road in Odintsovo, linking Moscow Beltway and Minsk highway. The head of state was accompanied by […]
To begin with, Barack Obama’s planned summit with Vladimir Putin next month in St. Petersburg, in advance of the upcoming Group of 20 confab in that city, was not really “cancelled,” as has been widely reported. It was “postponed,” a semantic distinction with a difference, even in the style of more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger diplomacy which now characterizes […]
Vladimir Pastukhov writes an essay for Novaya Gazeta, a liberal newspaper, on how Putin is not the driver of creeping totalitarianism, but Russia is pushing Putin down that path. It is worth noting that four Novaya Gazeta journalists have been assassinated in eight years. – Ed. Standing on the edge of the Russian abyss, they […]
