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Latest Articles about Russia
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Moscow Puts the Heat On Minsk and Kyiv
Moscow is piling the heat on Minsk and Kyiv to subordinate their economies, notably their energy sectors, to Russia and with that accept Russia’s political tutelage. In both cases, Moscow is using the instruments of its gas and its customs union (EurAsEc). EurAsEc has lent... MORE
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Mission Impossible: Russia’s Low-Tech-High-Tech Army
Russian military manning, saddled with conscripts serving for twelve months and reduced numbers of contract personnel, continues to be subject to experiments. The latest, relates to a brigade in the North Caucasus, which will witness the preparation of “combat-ready” conscripts in a new training program... MORE
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Russian-Led Customs Union Intensifies Sino-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia
July 1 marked the launch of the now “fully operational” Customs Union (Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia) fueling debate on the future of the post-Soviet space and even the grouping itself. Indeed, ruptures have already revealed themselves among existing members (such as the recent “tariff wars”... MORE
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Kremlin Loyalist Admits Police Treat North Caucasus Residents Differently
On July 24, Russian government forces killed three suspected militants in the city of Dagestanskie Ogni in southern Dagestan. The security services accused the slain suspects of plotting terror attacks in central Russia, pointing to an arsenal of weapons and two suicide bomber belts that... MORE
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The Prospect of Putin’s Return Comes Into Focus
As it happens all too often in Russian rumor-ridden politics, news that is taken seriously comes from abroad, and the Reuters analysis on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s newly-crystallized intention to return to the Kremlin made a stronger impression than most half-informed speculations (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, July... MORE
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Head of Dagestani President’s Press Service Murdered
Garun Kurbanov, the head of the press service of Dagestan’s president, was shot to death along with his driver in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala yesterday (July 28). The incident took place around 8:15 a.m., local time, near Kurbanov’s home. Both Kurbanov and his driver died... MORE
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GRU Responsible For Bomb Incident At US Embassy In Tbilisi
The US intelligence community has concluded that a Russian military intelligence officer, based in Abkhazia, commissioned the bomb blast outside the US embassy in Tbilisi and other bomb explosions during 2010 in Georgia. The Obama administration has accepted this conclusion, and attempted to discuss the... MORE
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Dagestani Militant Leader Brokers Reconciliation Deal Between Chechen Commanders
The history of the conflict resembles a detective novel. One year ago, on July 24, 2010, Doku Umarov, in his capacity as leader of the armed resistance in the North Caucasus, appointed Emir Aslanbek (aka Aslanbek Vadalov) as his future successor. In the same address,... MORE
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Pouring Money Fails to Redress Defense Industry Ills
The present Russian constitution, adopted in 1993, was specifically tailored to give the president (at the time – the late Boris Yeltsin) immense and unbalanced power in anticipation that this could facilitate bold reforms and a rapid transformation from a centrally-planned communist state to a... MORE
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Moscow’s Preliminary Plans to Invest Even More Heavily In the North Caucasus Raise Skepticism
On July 25, the Russian ministry for regional development unveiled Moscow’s draft plan to invest $140 billion in the development of the North Caucasus over 2012-2025. Most of the investment, $93 billion, will come directly from Russia’s state budget. The funds appear to have been... MORE