In an interview with the newspaper Kommersant published on January 11, the deputy prosecutor general of Russia, Ivan Sydoruk, admitted that despite some successes in countering rebel activities in the North Caucasus, the government still faced serious challenges in the region. Sydoruk blamed the continuing... MORE

Since Transnistria elected a new “president” on December 11, 2011, Russia has been trying to tighten its controls over this province, which was carved out of Moldova and is sustained by a force of Russian troops. Over the past year, Moscow has declared its intention... MORE

In January 2013, the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that the Tatar youth nationalist organization Azatlyk declared 2013 the year of a famous historical figure—the Mongol Khan Batyi. The Tatar nationalists hope that Khan Batyi, who was known for his devastating incursions into historical Russia and... MORE

In late November 2012, following the successful completion of an elite course for professional non-commissioned officers (NCOs) lasting two years and ten months, the first graduates emerged from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School (RVVDKU) NCO Training Center. Among the 175 graduates, 51 were sent... MORE

The Caucasians were even more active in 1916, when “The League of Non-Russian Peoples of Russia” (Ligue des nationalités allogènes de Russie) was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland. This organization, which may, without exaggeration, be called the forerunner of the later Promethean movement, was founded in... MORE

In North Ossetia-Alania, a relatively quiet place compared to other republics of the North Caucasus, 2012 ended with a high-profile killing. The murder could have serious consequences for the socio-political situation in this republic.On December 27, the 38-year-old deputy mufti of North Ossetia, Ibragim (Irbek)... MORE

Increased state control and consolidation of the oil and gas sector marked Russia’s energy developments in 2012, while the state budget remained heavily dependent on energy revenues. At the same time, Russia’s markets in Europe are shrinking due to the economic crisis and the “shale... MORE

A review of what happened in the various republics of the North Caucasus in 2012 indicates that the Russian authorities failed to turn the tide in their favor. On the contrary, in some republics, such as Chechnya, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria, there was a noticeable worsening... MORE

Last November, President Vladimir Putin sacked Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, replacing him with Sergei Shoigu, a former long-time emergency situations minister (MChS), who was only last May appointed governor of the Moscow region. Serdyukov has been disgraced by an inquiry into alleged corruption into the... MORE

On December 27, the Russian government decreed that the Stavropol region will join the grand North Caucasus tourism development project. What is intriguing about the decision is that the predominantly ethnic Russian-populated Stavropol region had periodically signaled that it did not want to be associated... MORE