Latest Articles about Ukraine
The Russian Military’s Inflation Paradox
On November 27, President Vladimir Putin signed into law the Russian federal budget for 2024–26 and planning period for 2025–26. As part of the budget, national defense spending for 2024 will be close to 10.8 trillion rubles ($119.6 billion, according to the expected exchange rate)... MORE
Ever-More Russians Write Putin Complaining About Impact of War in Ukraine
Russians have long viewed making direct appeals to their supreme leader as their last chance to achieve justice. Today, when ordinary political representation is blocked and participation in most protests remains dangerous, Russian citizens are increasingly writing letters to President Vladimir Putin discussing their personal... MORE
Political Rhetoric Overshadows Belarus’s Economic Reorientation Toward Russia
On December 1, Belta, Belarus’s official press agency, admitted that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka seemingly went off script during his speech at the UN Climate Summit and “added sharpness to his presentation” (Belta, December 1). Lukashenka declared that repeatedly expressing concerns about climate change at a... MORE
Russian ‘Elves’ in Georgia Fight Against Putin
On November 20, Radio Tavisupleba, the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, published an article about Russian citizens’ activism in Georgia in fighting against the Vladimir Putin regime and its invasion of Ukraine. According to the outlet, about 200 “elves” write hundreds of posts... MORE
Western Aid Strengthens Security of Ukrainian Grain Corridor
At the Grain From Ukraine forum in Kyiv on November 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has arranged to receive additional air defense systems from Western partners to ensure the safety of vessels traveling along the grain corridor in the Black Sea. According to... MORE
Lagging Production of Machine Tools and Parts Plagues Russian Military-Industrial Complex
Russia has consistently spread dubious claims that defense production remains on track to achieve Moscow’s increased targets in providing increased support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine (see EDM, September 21, October 5, October 31). The Russian military-industrial complex as a whole depends heavily... MORE
Russian Energy Industry Faces Looming Investment Crisis
The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), currently taking place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, is missing contributions from one major energy power—namely, Russia. Many countries are guilty of pledging to curtail emissions then departing from their plans and falling short of... MORE
Russia Playing Cat-and-Mouse With OSCE (Part Two)
Russia forced what it calls “the collective West” into significant concessions for this year’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) annual meeting of foreign ministers. Using its statutory veto and blocking powers, Moscow forced the organization to replace Estonia with Malta to chair... MORE
The Lingering Debate Over Belarus’s Historical Narratives
On November 23, the latest summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was held in Minsk. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan snubbed the meeting over a rift with the Kremlin. The leaders of the five other members—Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan—were present, including... MORE
Cossack Warriors From Russia and Abroad Meet in Moscow
On November 25, a “Big Circle” (Bol’shoi Krug) meeting of “over 200 delegates from 83 regions of Russia and 43 countries of the world” took place in Moscow to discuss Cossack issues and confirm the election of Chief Ataman Nikolai Dyakanov as leader of the... MORE