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Power struggles inside the Kremlin
A behind-the-scenes look at power struggles inside the Kremlin reveals potential scenarios for the future. And a possible new president. Russia’s ruling structure bears the marks of authoritarianism,...
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From our own correspondent in Moscow
There have been protests in the capital. Could Moscow really go the way of Kiev – bring down the president and install a less authoritarian government? I joined the crowds of people protesting against...
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Kakha Bendukidze and Georgia’s failed experiment
Kakha Bendukidze died in November 2014 at the age of 58. Bendukidze directed the whirlwind of economic reform that characterised Georgia from 2004 to 2008-9. Kakha Bendukidze, a large personality both...
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The high price of democracy in Ukraine
Ukraine is almost bankrupt. The budget for 2015 is unrealistic. Root and branch reform has stalled. There is a war still going in the east of the country. Where now? On 9 December, the Financial Times...
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Journalism has become a form of ‘prostitution’ in Russia
The Samara region has one of the highest numbers of media outlets in Russia, but local journalists find it hard to write the truth. Nestled along a bend on the Volga River, Samara tops the list of...
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Educating Russians abroad
In 2014, the Russian government launched the ‘Global Education’ programme of postgraduate education abroad. But the reaction in Russia has been obstructive and hostile.In October 2014, Russia withdrew...
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‘Russian passport, please’
It is now a criminal offence for Russian citizens not to declare their foreign passports or permanent residence permits. The political crackdown in Russia has begun to affect Russian citizens who hold...
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Высокая цена демократии в Украине
Украина находится на пороге банкротства. Выполнить бюджет на 2015 год практически нереально. Радикальные реформы затягиваются. Война на востоке страны продолжается. Что ожидает Украину в 2015 году?9...
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A free-thinker loses his freedom in Azerbaijan
On 12 January, Arif Yunus, the distinguished Azerbaijani scholar, will ‘celebrate’ his 60th birthday in a prison cell. It was well after midnight in Baku, on 5 August last year, when I spoke by Skype...
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The end of the Georgian dream
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili's decision on 4 November 2014 to dismiss Defence Minister Irakli Alasania provoked an immediate reaction both in and outside the country.Georgian Prime...
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A new drama in Moscow
Teatr.doc – a pioneer of ‘New Drama’ in Russia – has recently been evicted from its basement home in Moscow. But is it all an act? Teatr.doc is on the move. Having performed its last plays and a...
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Can Ukraine’s divided church help heal the divided country
In hardship, people turn to religion for help. Ukraine today is no exception. But is it the answer to the country’s problems? Ukraine is a predominantly Christian country, the vast majority of...
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The Crimean ‘question’
There are more questions than answers to the Crimean ‘question’. After more than two decades belonging to an independent Ukraine, the Crimean peninsula has become part of Russia, which has thereby...
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Farewell to Florida
Richard Florida's 2002 book on the ‘creative class’ has had an unexpectedly fervent following in Russia, but did that class ever really exist in Russia? In mid-December 2014, RosUznik – an organisation...
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Speaking to the Russophones
Whether the EU likes it or not, millions of its residents belong to the Russophone cultural sphere. But how should we speak to them? English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish – these are the...
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Armenia's unhappy New Year
Armenia is now a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. But with the economy in trouble, does membership have any benefits? In 2013, after four years of talks, Armenia was on the brink of concluding an...
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Russian woman accused of treason for phoning Ukrainian embassy
A mother of seven is facing charges of treason in the Russian town of Vyazma. Her alleged crime? Phoning the Ukrainian embassy to warn about Russian troop movements.On the morning of 21 January,...
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The gospel according to the Kremlin
The cost of my fridge has doubled, but it's okay, professional psychologists can explain why I’m not bothered – what we Russians see on TV we believe as gospel. 'A piece about propaganda in Russia?'...
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Ukrainian journalist faces 15 years in jail after calls to boycott the draft
A Ukrainian journalist has been arrested for publishing a video calling on his fellow citizens to boycott mobilisation. He is being charged with treason and espionage.A court in the western Ukrainian...
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Review: Sam Greene ‘Moscow in Movement: Power and Opposition in Putin’s Russia’
Russians pride themselves on their capacity for state-building, but their idea of the state is not one that the West would recognise, or was hoping for… Sam Greene is the director of the Russia...
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