Latest Articles about Russia
Serdyukov Has Been Disgraced, but His Reforms Will Continue
A month ago on November 6, 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. Russia’s top general—the first deputy defense minister and... MORE
Will Georgians Watch Russian TV Channels Again?
The new Georgian government’s decision to resume broadcast of Russian television channels may be among the most important recent moves by the country’s leadership (https://www.vestikavkaza.ru/articles/Vernutsya-li-rossiyskie-telekanaly-v-Gruziyu.html). The previous government suspended Russian television broadcasts in Georgia in August 2008. Now some cable companies in Georgia have again... MORE
Grassroots Activism Among Circassians in Russia Remains on the Rise
On December 2, over 100 people held a rally in downtown Moscow in support of Syria’s Circassians. The participants called on the Russian government to intervene and allow the estimated 100,000 ethnic Circassians who live in Syria to repatriate to the Russian North Caucasus. The... MORE
Russia Sees Sakhalin-Japan Energy Projects as Bargaining Tool
Russia’s gas monopoly, Gazprom, has apparently ruled out the possibility of building a subsea Sakhalin-Japan natural gas pipeline. However, the continuation of talks on this ambitious project is thought to remain a valuable bargaining instrument in Russia’s difficult negotiations with China on gas prices.On November... MORE
Russia is Pushing Georgia into Accepting More Concessions
On November 29, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in response to the new Georgian government’s attempts to normalize ties with Russia, declared that Moscow was ready for dialogue with Tbilisi. However, the talks would progress on the condition that Georgia takes into consideration new geopolitical... MORE
Moscow Launches Investigation into Failed Automated Command and Control System
Since Moscow ordered the reform and modernization of its conventional Armed Forces in the fall of 2008, at the heart of what became an increasingly obscure transformation program was the improvement of command and control (C2). This resulted in simplifying C2 structures, particularly reducing the... MORE
Kadyrov’s Visit to Baku: What Are Azerbaijan’s Interests in the North Caucasus?
On November 15, Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov began his two-day visit to Baku. This was the second visit of the Chechen leader to Baku in the last couple of years. Despite the fact that Kadyrov faces heavy criticism in Europe and the United States... MORE
Activists in Middle Volga Protest Moscow’s Plans to End Obligatory Instruction in Non-Russian Languages
Activists in Chuvashia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan went into the streets of the republic capitals on Saturday, December 1, with signs demanding that Moscow end its plans to drop obligatory instruction in their national languages for all students in the non-Russian republics and issuing an appeal... MORE
Is Russian Gold Being Used to Support North Caucasus Insurgency?
On November 16, Russia’s Federal Security Service announced it had intercepted a channel that supplied gold from Russia’s north to Ingushetia. The security services confiscated over 17 kilograms of gold from an unnamed individual in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan. The same individual, a resident... MORE
Putin Attempts a Comeback as His Leadership Becomes Precarious
Winter hit Moscow furiously in the last days of November causing colossal traffic jams, but the political climate remains hot as if the electoral season and the government reshuffle did not end in May. President Vladimir Putin announced plans for several trips and scheduled the... MORE