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Opinion

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Leonid Bershidsky

Why Bolivian Politics Suddenly Matters to Putin

An authoritarian leader’s rule ended when citizens tired of him and the military refused to intervene. Could the same thing happen in Moscow?
Ilya Klishin

Putin Wants to Own the Russian Language

Why does the president want to create a Russian Wikipedia?
Michele A. Berdy

Making a Fuss in Russian

Almost false friends, half false friends, semi-false friends... they drive me a bit nuts.
Leonid Bershidsky

Macron’s Vision of Russia's Future Is Half-Baked

Macron thinks Russia has no choice but integration with Europe. Putin has other ideas.
Andrei Kolesnikov

A Russian View on the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 Years On

We should never forget the benefits that Germany’s reunification brought to the world.
Leonid Bershidsky

For Russia, Even the Language Can Be a Weapon

Putin says there’s a war against the mother tongue in the Russian-speaking world outside the federation’s borders.
Mark Galeotti

Boris Johnson and Putin’s Unwitting Helpers

Sometimes it almost looks as if Putin’s information warriors and political operators need not do anything, the West gladly does their work for them.
Sergei Markedonov

China Makes Inroads Into Russia's Backyard

The increased scale of Chinese cooperation with the South Caucasus is turning Beijing into one of the forces of influence in the region.
Leonid Bershidsky

Grumpy Eastern Europeans Aren’t as Gloomy as They Seem

A survey by George Soros’s charity found a lot of disenchantment about life after Communism. Here’s the good news.
Tatyana Stanovaya

Post-Putin Uncertainty Means a Jittery Russian Elite and Brittle Regime

Amid the uncertainty over what will happen when Putin steps down in 2024, everyone is striving to claim a spot in the sun.
Mark Galeotti

Putin's Declassified KGB Record Shows He Was No High-Flier, but a Solid B

A recent report about Vladimir Putin as a KBG officer shows that he was seen as worthy, serious and reliable, but not as a high-flier or a leader.
Michele A. Berdy

Take a Mental Health Day in Russian

How to talk about talking about your problems.
Leonid Bershidsky

The U.S. Dithered Too Long on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Project

Denmark has lifted its block on the Russian pipeline, and now it’s too late for sanctions to work.
Ilya Klishin

How Putin Is Bankrupting the Russian Opposition

Why throw hundreds of thousands of people into forced labor camps when you can easily force them into bankruptcy?
Mark Galeotti

5 Things Russian Gangsters Might Teach Us About the Islamic State’s Search for a New Leader

What happens after organized crime structures suffer decapitating strikes?
Vuk Vuksanovic

Why Serbia Won’t Stop Playing the Russia Card Any Time Soon

As long as Serbia lacks a solution to the Kosovo dispute that it can sell both to its international partners and to people at home, it will continue to...
Leonid Bershidsky

‘BRICS’ Is About Geopolitics, Not Economics

BRICS no longer makes much financial sense. But the idea is more politically relevant than ever.
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Newspeak 2019

From оч to хейтерство Russian is picking up new words from all over.
Vita Spivak

Russia Can’t Compete With China in Africa. Not Yet.

As China asserts itself in the role of the major power in Africa, Moscow’s influence could become a source of irritation.
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