Latest Articles about Russia
More Reboot or a Real Strategic Overload?
On December 1, after lengthy consultations with his military and political advisors, President Barrack Obama announced an increase of 30,000 US troops for Afghanistan and sent his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to Brussels to help secure an additional 10,000 troops from other NATO members.... MORE
Train Bombing Part of North Caucasus Rebels’ Bid to Widen Insurgency
A series of terrorist attacks on Russian railroads in November, including the bombing of the Nevsky Express, which killed 27 people, made many wonder who would take such bold actions in different parts of Russia. The incidents were officially characterized as terrorist attacks, which in... MORE
Russia Removes Constitutional Constraints on Military Intervention Abroad
Last August, while celebrating the anniversary of the successful invasion of Georgia in August 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev introduced amendments to the 1996 Law on Defense aimed at allowing the use of Russian forces abroad “to defend Russian soldiers and citizens, fight piracy and defend... MORE
Gazprom Agrees Not to Penalize Naftohaz, Gas Price to Grow in 2010
Gazprom and Naftohaz Ukrainy on November 24 signed addenda to their earlier contracts according to which Naftohaz will not pay fines for buying less gas in 2009 than stipulated by the contracts. Gazprom also allowed Naftohaz to buy less gas in 2010, 33.75 billion cubic... MORE
Kadyrov Requests Additional Funding From Moscow Amid Accusations of Rights Abuses
On December 7 the independent Chechen magazine Dosh (Word) reported that its website was attacked by hackers, who destroyed its news section and part of its archive (www.doshdu.ru, December 7). The attack came days after the magazine received a prestigious award from the Reporters Without... MORE
Russian Combat Training Prioritizes the Individual
As the new combat training year in the Russian armed forces began on December 1, senior officials outlined the priorities for the year ahead, while reflecting soberly on annual training results in 2009. The main change envisages concentrating on the individual skills of officers and... MORE
Mistral Procurement Divides Russian Defense Leadership
Those favoring the purchase of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship from France had placed high hopes on events in late November moving the sale forward. Mistral arrived in St. Petersburg on November 23 to much fanfare. The French sailors proved excellent guests and Russian experts... MORE
Customs Union with Russia and Belarus Raises Doubts in Kazakhstan
Fielding questions from viewers on state-controlled television channels on November 13 Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced that on November 27 the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan would gather in Minsk to sign final agreements on a Customs Union. On November 17, at a cabinet... MORE
Putin Reassures his Audience and Reduces Medvedev to Irrelevance
Vladimir Putin’s annual talk-show has set a new record as he kept answering questions from carefully selected “common” Russians for more than four hours last Thursday, habitually demonstrating a perfect grasp of innumerable social problems and generously delivering gifts. Direct coverage continued non-stop on both... MORE
Russian President Medvedev Submits Draft Treaty on European Security Architecture
Article 4 of Medvedev’s draft treaty (full text on Russia’s presidential website, www.kremlin.ru, November 30) would create mechanisms to “examine differences and disputes that may arise over this treaty’s interpretation and implementation.” The proposed mechanisms would operate on three levels: first, consultations in variable formats... MORE