The event of crucial importance for Russia’s wellbeing happened last week in Brussels where EU leaders managed to put together a half-deal on containing the Greek debt crisis and on preserving the integrity of the eurozone. Russia had no say in their desperate deliberations and... MORE

Unidentified gunmen yesterday (October 27) fired on a group of Interior Ministry servicemen and policemen in the village of Bairam-Aul in Dagestan’s Khasavyurt district. The incident took place as the servicemen were conducting a reconnaissance mission on the outskirts of the village. One of the... MORE

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s current prime minister, chose to make his first foreign trip to China after his announcement in late September that he would run again for president. This led some to expect Russia would align closer toward Beijing in coming years. Perhaps for this... MORE

On October 22, an officially permitted anti-Caucasian protest action – “Stop Feeding the Caucasus!” – was held in Moscow. Extensively advertised in both the government and liberal press, the rally turned out to be a very modest event, with fewer than 500 people participating. Protests... MORE

On November 4, Russia’s official National Unity Day holiday, Russian nationalists of differing creeds (about 40 grassroots nationalistic organizations in total) have been allowed by the authorities to stage their traditional annual Russian March (Russky Marsh). The organizers hope to attract some 20,000 to 25,000... MORE

On October 18, the Russian public chamber held a special hearing on the exodus of ethnic Russians from the North Caucasus. Poor economic conditions, personal insecurity and the regional political climate were cited most often as the main factors driving ethnic Russians out of the... MORE

Moscow claims to have resolved energy-related pricing disagreements with Beijing and has promised to increase bilateral trade. The official visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to China on October 10-11 was designed to give bilateral economic and energy ties yet another boost. For that... MORE

On October 19, members of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) announced in St. Petersburg that both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are eligible to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union (www.24.kg, October 19).Although the Customs Union positions itself as an economic alignment, it has long acquired political significance.... MORE

A recurring theme in the ongoing transformation of Russia’s Armed Forces has been planning and discussion on the future of junior command. Its prominence has fluctuated as the focus of attention centered on the dubious experiment to develop an elite professional non-commissioned officer (NCO) cadre... MORE