Latest Articles about Russia
Medvedev’s Military Modernization Program Faces Crisis
Army-General Yury Baluyevskiy, the Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council and former Chief of the General Staff told a roundtable in Moscow on April 16 that the modernization of military equipment and weapons must proceed at the rate of around ten percent annually. Nevertheless,... MORE
Russia’s Strategic Gains at Ukraine’s and Europe’s Expense
Russia’s new deal with Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) and gas prices has profound bilateral significance, as well as for the CIS and even Europe. It ratifies long-term Russian gains at the expense of all the other players and continues to solidify Moscow’s... MORE
Putin Declares Victory Over Crisis and Asserts Control of the Political Agenda
The procedure of reporting to the State Duma on the government’s performance is meant to be a tough examination, but Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, turned it into an exhibition of the success of his leadership –which had allegedly delivered Russia from the economic crisis and... MORE
Moscow Looks to Cossacks to Deal With North Caucasus Instability
The Cossacks first appeared in the Caucasus as they fled their masters in Russia. Hiding in the foothills of the North Caucasus, they absorbed many elements of the lifestyle of the Caucasus highlanders (the Gortsy), from their garments and arms to adopting their mentality. As... MORE
Yamadaev versus Kadyrov: a Sign of a Larger Battle Between the FSB and GRU?
Some Russian observers suggested this week that the latest accusations by Isa Yamadaev against Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov, may be part of a larger ongoing power struggle between two Russian intelligence agencies –the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the General Staff’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).On... MORE
Jubilant Medvedev Praises Yanukovych and Threatens Lukashenka
Yesterday, Moscow achieved one of its most important long-term strategic goals –to secure a continued military presence in Ukraine by keeping its base in Sevastopol, Crimea. During a summit in Kharkov in Eastern Ukraine, Presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Medvedev signed a barter agreement that... MORE
Is a Russian-Uzbek Rapprochement in the Offing?
Uzbekistan is famous for its flexibility in maneuvering between Moscow and Washington. Most recently, President Islam Karimov has been the subject of overtures from the US and NATO to which he has responded positively. However, Moscow clearly intends to establish itself as Tashkent’s principal interlocutor... MORE
Russia’s Government-Sponsored Expert Community Reaches out to North Caucasus
On April 13 the Civic Chamber of Russia held preliminary hearings on its previous visits to Dagestan, Ingushetia, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and North Ossetia. Journalist Maxim Shevchenko, who is considered to be a Russian government loyalist, led the effort of the government-sponsored Civic Chamber to receive feedback... MORE
The Polish Revelation for Russia – and the Latin American Dream
Two distinct and remarkably dissimilar international events developed in parallel in Russian foreign policy over the last two weeks: rapprochement with Poland and networking in Latin America. The latter started with Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, visit to Venezuela and continued with President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, official... MORE
Surgut Misfires Once More Against Hungarian MOL
For the second consecutive year, Russia’s Surgutneftegaz has failed to crash the door of the Hungarian MOL’s annual general meeting of its shareholders and the board of directors. The April 29 event seems set to consolidate MOL’s defenses against such predatory takeover tactics. MOL’s oil-refining... MORE