On December 11th of last year Uzbekistan became an observer in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the latest and most important step to date on the path toward full membership of Vladimir Putin’s rival to the EU, through which the Russian president hopes to entice former Soviet republics back into Moscow’s orbit. Tashkent plans to…
In their final head to head debate before the Presidential election on 3 November, Donald Trump and Joe Biden clashed over financial ties with Russia and China. Both candidates levelled allegations against the other. Trump has made more than $200 million in income from his foreign business interests since 2016, according to the Center for…
The personal meeting of the presidents of Russia and Belarus in Sochi on September 14 showed that the Russian authorities were ready to provide Lukashenko with assistance in order to rapidly replace him with a more acceptable candidate for Moscow within the framework of the “Union State of Russia and Belarus”. The only public signal…
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a pre-recorded video address to the 75th anniversary session of the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week. The main focus of his address was on the global challenge that COVID-19 is posing. But he kept silent about the challenges Russia is presenting to the international community in a time…
“Don’t leave Belarus alone!” That was the message of a conference organised by New Europeans with human rights campaigners from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia to mark International Democracy Day, 15 September, writes Roger Casale. In a moving address from her home outside Minsk, Olga Zubrilova, explained how she had become involved in the democratic movement…
Martin Banks interviews Olivier Védrine Chief Editor of the Russian Monitor about Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also speaks about the case of Alexei Anatolievich Navalny, a Russian politician and anti-corruption activist who came to international prominence by organising demonstrations, and running for office, to advocate reforms against corruption in Russia, Russian President Putin, and…
Russians voted by a landslide to pass constitutional changes that will allow Vladimir Putin to run for president twice more, according to preliminary results released last night. Around 78 percent voted yes to the amendments, versus 21 percent against, with turnout about 65 percent. There were reports of widespread irregularities including inconsistent tallies of results,…
We republish here in full, with the authors’ permission, the text of an article that first appeared in the blog of the Institute for Global Threats and Democracy Studies (IGTDS) Riots in the US were triggered by the murder of the African-American George Floyd by Minneapolis police after being arrested. CNN has released a story…
A ‘phone call between the president of the European Council Charles Michel and president Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation took place yesterday on Thursday January 16, 2020. This was the first contact between Charles Michel, in his capacity as President of the European Council, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The timing was planned so…
A sensitive report into Russian interference in the Brexit referendum campaign in 2016 is being sat on by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.The report is the work of the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK parliament, chaired by Dominic Grieve. Before it can be published, the Prime Minister must give his approval for publication,…
