Latest Articles about Russia
Gazprom Playing With Poor Options on South Stream in the Black Sea
On February 17 in Bucharest, Gazprom Vice-President Aleksandr Medvedev conferred with Romanian officials on a range of bilateral projects. Medvedev hinted at possible Romanian participation in Gazprom’s South Stream pipeline project, from Russia to Europe via the Black Sea. On the previous day in Sofia,... MORE
European Proposal on Tactical Nuclear Weapons Highlights Russian Nuclear Dilemmas
As the negotiations on a bilateral arms control treaty lumber towards conclusion, the issue of tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) in Europe has regained prominence. Recently Germany, Norway, Poland, and Sweden have individually proposed that both Russia and the US eliminate their TNW from Europe or... MORE
Russia Struggles to Establish a Viable Military Base in Abkhazia
This week, the Abkhaz separatist leader, Sergei Bagapsh, arrived in Moscow to sign a number of deals with President Dmitry Medvedev on military, logistical, financial and economic cooperation. The Russian military have been officially allowed to establish a permanent “unified military base” in Abkhazia for... MORE
Moscow’s CSTO Olive Branch to NATO
One year after the “reset” policy was announced by the Obama administration, aimed at improving relations with Russia, the negative characterization of NATO continues to feature prominently in the thinking and statements of senior Russian officials. During a recent interview with the Tajik weekly newspaper... MORE
Russia Secures Trade Surplus With China
Russia has repeatedly pledged to expand its trade with China, as the Kremlin appeared to view these commercial ties as an important indicator of what was officially described as the bilateral strategic partnership. Although bilateral trade was adversely affected by the global economic downturn, Moscow... MORE
Franco-Russian Naval Sale is a Challenge to NATO
NATO is being tested, with “its future at stake,” not so much in Afghanistan as the line recently went, but rather in Brussels itself and in the Alliance’s most influential capitals. The latest among these tests –one that the Alliance seems only determined to side-step–... MORE
La France D’Abord: Paris First to Capitalize on Russian Military Modernization
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has approved the sale of one Mistral-class warship to Russia; and France is now considering Moscow’s request for three more of that class of helicopter-carrier and amphibious-assault ship.The Russian Navy’s First Deputy Chief of Staff, Vice-Admiral Oleg Burtsev, broke the news... MORE
Moscow Remembers the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
In late December 2009, the Russian press carried numerous articles reflecting on the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and its impact on the fate of the Soviet Union. On December 25, the State Duma adopted a statement on the intervention, which recalled the sacrifices of those... MORE
Medvedev Picks Candidate With Long-Standing Political Ties as Dagestan’s President
On February 8, President Dmitry Medvedev announced his decision to recommend that the Dagestani parliament appoint Magomedsalam Magomedov as president of Dagestan (RIA Novosti, February 8).The announcement came less than two weeks before the term of the current president, Mukhu Aliev, expires. Magomedsalam Magomedov was... MORE
Shtokman Project’s Postponement Marks Turning Point in Russia-West Energy Trade
(Part Two)Shtokman is the most ambitious energy project in Russia since the end of the Soviet era. A joint venture of Gazprom with Total of France and Norway’s Statoil, the Shtokman project is entirely export-oriented toward Europe and the United States. The February 5 decision... MORE