Latest Articles about Russia
The ‘Magician,’ the ‘Mace’ and the Russian Defense Industry (Part One): The Magician Practices His Trade
During the crisis of defense reform associated with Anatoly Serdyukov’s (Russian minister of defense in 2007–2012) so-called “New Look” approach, there appeared a defense expert armed with mighty tools to unmask corruption and incompetence within the defense ministry and to lead Russian defense industries back... MORE
Volgograd Suicide Bombing: Were the Sochi Olympics the Real Target?
Suicide bomber attacks in the North Caucasus rarely make headlines in the rest of the Russian Federation. Yet, any violent attack in Russia outside the North Caucasus, in ethnic Russian regions, is alarming to Russians, since they realize it could have affected them personally.The latest... MORE
Dagestan’s Government Celebrates Anniversary of Republic’s ‘Voluntary Accession’ into Russia
It appears that Moscow views appointing people in the regions who constantly declare loyalty to the Kremlin the best strategy to combat extremism, separatism and terrorism. At the same time, the region’s problems are regarded as a matter of secondary importance compared to the declarations... MORE
Shoigu Agrees to Maintain a Videolink to the Pentagon
This week, officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were anticipating Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s first appearance at a NATO-Russia Council (NRC) defense ministerial. The NRC had not met at this level in almost two years, as relations between Russia and the Alliance... MORE
Violence in Kabardino-Balkaria Continues as Circassian ‘Officials’ Reiterate Support for Kremlin-Backed Sochi Olympics
On October 18, an explosion shook the village of Dugulubgei in the Baksan district of Kabardino-Balkaria. An improvised explosive device (IED) with an estimated force of 10 kilograms of TNT exploded at a local cemetery located next to a mosque. The remains of two people... MORE
Dagestan’s Plan to Bring Home Muslims Studying Abroad Unlikely to Work
Dagestani leader Ramazan Abdulatipov last week (October 14) directed the district and city anti-terrorist commissions in his North Caucasus republic to launch a campaign to recall all Dagestani young people now studying abroad, especially in “crisis countries” where “various kinds of “terrorist actions, revolutions and... MORE
Bulava: Russia’s Most Spectacular Defense Industry Failure
Moscow has long promoted its conventional defense modernization to 2020 as a means to strengthen the state’s claims to great power status. However, the Russian political and security elite continue to place considerably more emphasis upon the modernization of the nuclear deterrent; and in turn... MORE
Will the Moscow Riots Cause a Shift in Kremlin Policies Toward the North Caucasus?
On October 13, massive riots started in the Moscow district of Biryulyovo, which is located in the southern part of the city (see EDM, October 17). Many observers dubbed the events a traditional Russian pogrom against ethnic non-Russians. The participants of the riots stormed a... MORE
Moscow Becomes an Intersection for Two Waves of Anti-Regime Protests
The dramatic resolution of the fiscal-political crisis in the United States was barely noticed in Moscow last week (October 16–17) as two dissimilar events of a local character but heavy resonance focused public attention. The first one was a mass riot in the Moscow suburb... MORE
Kremlin Effort Backfires on Embarrassing Imprisoned Ingush Guerilla Commander Magas
On October 15, the trial of the former military emir of the Caucasus Emirate and emir of the Ingush jamaat, Magas (a.k.a. Ali Taziev, Magomed Yevloev) concluded. Magas was the emir of Ingushetia from 2001 to 2010 and the military emir of the entire North... MORE