A fortnight ago Nezavisimaya gazeta appeared with a fascinating leader about Putin and the people that shows every sign of last minute, heavy editing. Without venturing into the grim reality that elections have long been fixed in Putin's favour, with independent journalists liquidated along with political opponents and censorship now an uncontrovertibly unpleasant fact of … Continue reading The Undoubted Limits to Putin’s Power

War to conquer as much of Ukraine as it can get has shattered decades of Russia's commerce with NATO states. And, as the outlook for a speedy settlement of that conflict recedes ever further into the distance, Moscow has been wrestling with alternatives, however costly. The high rhetoric about turning to China and away from … Continue reading Russia Turns South for Trade Alternatives

In a most unusual article published today by Komsomol'skaya pravda Russian weapons specialists compare in some detail the combat effectiveness and cost of their theatre range systems with those NATO has supplied to Ukraine. These include the US Javelin vis-a-vis the Russian Kornet, the US Stinger vis-a-vis the Russian Verba, the US Howitzer M777 vis-a-vis … Continue reading Russians Assert Their Ground-Launched Weapons Systems More Effective in Ukraine