Latest Articles about Russia
Success Eludes the Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasus
Six months after Aleksandr Khloponin was appointed as the Russian president’s envoy to the specially created North Caucasus Federal District, it can be safely concluded that he has not brought anything new or particularly important to Russia’s troubled region. An attempt to shift Russia’s policy... MORE
Rearmament Declared the Main Issue in Russian Military Reform
A reshuffle of top military personnel was announced this week in Moscow. Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of Armaments, Colonel-General (retired) Vladimir Popovkin (52), was promoted to First Deputy Defense Minister. Russian Defense Minister, Anatoliy Serdyukov, has eight deputies –two of them first deputies. President,... MORE
Videos Attest to the Involvement of Dagestanis in the Moscow Metro Attacks
On June 20, the Sunday Times published an article on the two Dagestani women suspected of carrying out the twin suicide bombings on the Moscow metro last March, Maryam Sharipova and Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova, and included videos on its website. Sharipova, 28-year-old teacher, and 17-year-old Abdurakhmanova... MORE
Gazprom Enlists More Western Allies in South Stream
On June 19, at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Gazprom announced the appointment of Marcel Kramer as chairman of the board and CEO of South Stream AG, the company designated to build and operate the pipeline in the Black Sea (the overland sections are separate... MORE
Gazprom Again Reconfigures the South Stream Project
Bulgaria’s suspension of the South Stream project on its territory is forcing Gazprom to reconfigure South Stream’s overall geography, with uncertain options and prospects (EDM, June 14, 18, 22). Gazprom is also reconfiguring the project’s technical and economic features. Moscow is enlisting influential allies in... MORE
The “Putinization” of Ukraine’s Security Forces
The “Putinization of Ukraine’s media policy” is taking place at the same time in Ukraine’s siloviki (security forces). Both steps lead Ukraine closer to Kuchma’s semi-authoritarian regime and Vladimir Putin’s “managed/sovereign democracy” in Russia.“Putinization” is occurring in both the Interior Ministry (MVS) and Security Service... MORE
Gazprom Play Map Games in the Balkans With South Stream
Romania’s economy ministry announced on June 16 that it had persuaded Gazprom to include Romania, instead of Bulgaria, in South Stream and other gas projects on Romanian territory. The Romanian ministry sounded self-congratulatory about replacing Bulgaria, following Sofia’s suspension of South Stream and other Russian... MORE
Moscow Ponders “Strategy” in the “Reset”
Ahead of US President, Barack Obama, meeting his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Washington on June 24, Moscow-based analysts have considered the progress of the “reset.” In two recent articles in Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, Sergey Rogov, Director of the USA and Canada Institute assessed the... MORE
Belarus Demands More Concessions From Russia on Oil and Gas
During a visit to Mahileu on June 18, Belarusian President, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, expressed his frustration over his country’s obligatory payment of customs duties for oil and oil products to Moscow, which has delayed the ratification of the Customs Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan that... MORE
Medvedev Attempts to Rationalize his “Modernization” Agenda
It is hardly a mystery for President Dmitry Medvedev that his “modernization” project is not going anywhere; it is, however, unclear whether this is an issue. Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum last Friday, he tried to portray Russia as a “country attracting people... MORE