The Russians are very pleased that the poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Naval'ny has not disturbed Berlin's entente with Moscow. For a while it did not look so good. But Chancellor Merkel saved the day, averting an unanticipated crisis in relations with President Putin by kicking the Naval'ny poisoning into the long grass. By referring … Continue reading Russian Gas to Secure German Dominance over Europe

It might have been supposed that given President Vladimir Putin's tight grip on Russia and those Russians abroad who have reason to fear for their lives, the leader of the opposition would keep out of his gunsights and the Russian press would go out of their way to avoid drawing attention to themselves by reporting … Continue reading Naval’ny Wins Respect

Russia's real opposition leader Aleksei Naval'ny, whom the Kremlin's secret police tried to poison not that many months ago, was warned that if he returned to his own country from Germany he would be arrested. It was not a simple police car that waited for him outside Vnukovo airport today but enough security people, including … Continue reading Naval’ny Arrested

That delicate relationship between Moscow and Ankara now tested by events in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya is once again coming under strain in Syria. This civil war is long lasting and not something the Russians have been able to sweep under the carpet. In the north-east of the country, where Assad is once again in danger … Continue reading Russia Blames Turkey for Increased Terrorism in Syria

When the United States is putting together its strategic threat assessment, what counts is not just what makes up the enemy's order of battle but also what is onstream from the military defence sector of the economy; how efficiently and how rapidly armaments can be produced. Within Russia power is held together by the siloviki, … Continue reading Russia’s Crisis in Naval Construction

Russian experts believe that because of the catastrophic crisis created in North Korea as a result of US economic sanctions and the impact of the Wuhan virus, Kim Jong Un is about to initiate a program of massive reform as was done in the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin (1953-1955). Nezavisimaya gazeta reports: … Continue reading North Korea Reforms?

There is to be a summit between the presidents of Russia and Turkey. The foreign ministers of the two sides have been trying to lay the groundwork. But the negotiations between Ankara and Moscow to resolve the recent conflict over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh have reached an unpleasant sticking point. When basic relations between states … Continue reading Russian Mistrust of Turkey Grows

Nothing seems to move the German Government from its sustained commitment to the Northstream II project, supplying Russian natural gas to Western Europe. Ever since the early eighties and with East-West tension at the highest point in over a decade over the Soviet deployment of the counterforce SS-20 missile system and NATO retaliation in the … Continue reading Germany and Russia: The Ties that Bind

A certain degree of nervousness has for a while been apparent in Moscow concerning the activities of British Intelligence in the Near East and South Caucasus. It is fashionable to write about these activities as a direct extension of the so-called "Great Game" of Anglo-Russian rivalry for dominance in South Asia and Asia Minor in … Continue reading MI6, Turkey and Russian Fears

No doubt many of those related to MI6 agents in the German theatre who died because MI6 officer George Blake betrayed them will have cause for jubilation, though, as the Russians say, "the years took him" rather than a bullet or the gallows. When the British decided to burrow under East Berlin to cut into … Continue reading Traitor George Blake Dies at 98