Nezavisimaya gazeta today produced a massive article on completing construction of the Nordstream II pipeline - now off Bornholm in Denmark (which the Russians wanted to occupy at the end of the war). The pipeline would bring natural gas directly from Russia into Germany, enabling the latter to become the hub for gas distribution throughout … Continue reading Biden to Concede on Nordstream II ?

In a bid for electoral popularity, with the seizure of the Crimea in April 2014, President Putin ratcheted up the threat to Ukraine's sovereignty in defiance of international law to force Kiev into open submission. That August his poll ratings reached an extraordinary 87%. The West under absent Americans leadership huffed and puffed - through … Continue reading Putin’s Caution on Ukraine

There are few still alive who survived the Stalin terror. One such emerged in 2017 to be interviewed by a Russian newspaper, Moskovskii komsomolets. Anna Rudakova, born in 1917, became a touch typist for Beria in the Lubyanka, paid 900 roubles (a very generous sum) for very hard work but with access to special shops … Continue reading “If I Don’t Get Back By 10, Call Dad”

Welt am Sontag has appeared with an interview today given by the Austrian Chancellor, the right wing populist Sebastian Kurz. Kurz has spoken out in support of Chancellor Merkel's adamant refusal to hold up the second Russian gas pipeline to Europe - Nordstream II - until Rusia's opposition leader Alexei Naval'ny is released. The populist … Continue reading Austria Backs Merkel’s Passivity Towards Putin

In a bad year for the Russian economy (and everyone else's) - 2020 - with demand for energy resources from the world market significantly reduced by the Wuhan virus to the point where the futures price for oil at one point spectacularly dropped through the floor, one bright spot illuminated the gloom, and that was … Continue reading Russia’s Massive Gold Sales: What Does This Tell Us of Kremlin Calculations?

As Nezavisimaya gazeta pointed out last week in an unprecedented display of candour, the street protests were not just about Naval'ny; grievances to which the régime had been indifferent lay deep behind the unrest. Thus Naval'ny is not only a cause in his own right, as the victim of deadly persecution by the Putin régime, … Continue reading Putin’s Popularity Plummets

There are two kinds of states: a state governed by laws and a state governed by men (or women). From the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991 it was assumed that Russia could be lured into the rule of law. It was assumed that the best way of ensuring this was to turn it … Continue reading Political Prosecution Now Underscores Naval’ny’s Political Persecution

There is no public reaction yet in Moscow to the declaration of a state of emergency by the army in Myanmar barely a week after the visit of the Russian Defence Minister Shoigu. But it is to say the least embarrassing, as it looks like the military in Myanmar might have discussed their plans with … Continue reading Myanmar Coup