According to Sergei Konovalov, a Moscow-based defense journalist, for the first time since the reform of the Russian Armed forces was initiated in October 2008, its central theme has been questioned by a general that was once considered to be very close to the process... MORE

The traditional meeting of the international Valdai club with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday lasted long into the night but still was an indubitable letdown. The privilege of raising direct questions with the real master of Russian politics was diluted by the awkward awareness... MORE

On November 5, a massive fistfight broke out between Ossetians and Ingush in the city of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, following a car accident. The violence involved relatives of the accident victims, residents of nearby villages and the North Ossetian police. According to the Ingush side,... MORE

Dagestan’s Interior Ministry reported today (November 11) that security forces yesterday (November 10) had detained a local resident with an improvised explosive device on the outskirts of the city of Buinaksk. A ministry source was quoted as saying that police unsuccessfully tried to stop a... MORE

Tajikistan has raised tensions with Moscow after a court in Dushanbe convicted a Russian citizen, Vladimir Sadovnichy, sentencing him to serve eight years and six months in prison for smuggling and illegally landing his aircraft on Tajikistan’s Kurgan-Tyube airport last March. While the details of... MORE

The two wars in Chechnya and related political and economic instability were the primary reasons for the massive exodus of both Russian and non-ethnic Russians from the North Caucasus. Even though the flight of ethnic Russians from the region has been extensively explored in scientific... MORE

Last week, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in charge of relations with the US, arms control, ballistic missile defense (BMD) and proliferation, told Jamestown that US-Russian relations are not bad. Ryabkov expressed satisfaction that President Barack Obama fulfilled his promise to help Moscow overcome... MORE

The 1830 Russian-Temirgoi Treaty: The Biggest Success That the Circassians Had During 101 Years of War. On September 2, 1829, Russia and Turkey signed the Adrianople Treaty, and Turkey recognized Circassia as a territory of Russian influence. After the Adrianople Treaty, Jembulat decided to make... MORE

On November 7, the European parliament in Brussels observed Circassian Day. The event focused on Circassian diaspora organizations, their problems and expectations in relation to the European parliament. In attendance were diaspora groups from European countries, but also substantial Circassian delegations from the United States... MORE

The Russian-Circassian war was one of the longest and cruelest conflicts in world history. Between 1763-1822, most battles took place in the principality of Kabarda in Eastern Circassia until it became part of the Russian Empire. Those who did not accept Russian rule moved to... MORE