Latest Articles about Russia

Russia’s Navy Muscles Up and Looks East

According to Russia’s decade-long military procurement plan the Navy will receive 4.7 trillion rubles ($159 billion) of the total 20 trillion rubles ($678 billion), a figure that Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin considers as being scary (Vedomosti, December 14, 2010). Of course, this builds upon existing... MORE

Serdyukov “Leads” Russian Defense Ministry “Circus”

As the reform of Russia’s conventional armed forces continues, numerous policy planning issues have served to demonstrate the reactionary nature of many initiatives. Defense Minister, Anatoliy Serdyukov, has tried to avoid shouldering the blame for any mistakes while failing to prioritize policy. The latest instance... MORE

Russian Politics Turns Towards Putin’s New Presidency

During the past month, President Dmitry Medvedev has turned into a disappearing and irrelevant figure in the Russian political arena. His lame-duck status was established beyond any reasonable doubt by the unreasonably harsh verdict against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev in late 2010 (Nezavisimaya Gazeta,... MORE

Ingush in 2010: The Insurgency Remains a Potent Force

According to independent sources, who summarized their findings based on reports that have been officially published in the media by Russian authorities, Ingushetia had the second largest number of victims of violence in the North Caucasus in 2010, an unfortunate outcome similar to what happened... MORE

Russian Gas Sector Moves Towards Recovery

Russia’s natural gas sector has increased its domestic production and exports, apparently recovering in the aftermath of the recent economic downturn. However, the industry remains dependent on exports amid growing costs. Moscow’s official statistics appeared to indicate that the domestic gas sector managed to overcome... MORE

Russia Faces Multiple Terrorist Threats

The Domodedovo airport bombing on January 24, that left 35 dead, including the alleged suicide bomber and more than 100 injured – Russians and foreigners – has overshadowed other important political events: the final ratification of the START III arms control treaty by both houses... MORE