Komsomol'skaya pravda used to be notorious in the days of the Soviet Union. The joke ran: "Why do Russians believe in flying saucers?" The answer: "Because Komsomol'skaya pravda denies that they exist." Today this is no longer so. It is now the most popular tabloid; reportedly Putin's favourite read. As such it is occasionally worth … Continue reading The Threat of the Russian IT Brain Drain

Even under Stalin's terror the Soviet population were treated to regular infusions of ideological indoctrination, Marxist-Leninist philosophy, at some levels mindlessly simplistic to someone from the West. But it did its job, clogging up the arteries of the greater part of the population and turning it into a blind and obediently inert mass. Then we … Continue reading Putin: A Dictatorship Without Purpose

In war the element of surprise is everything. At 8.00am Russian time Vzglyad ru reported an attack on an oil depot in Belgorod within Russia the night before, as revealed by the governor of the region Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two Ukrainian attack helicopters launched the raid on eight tanks containing 2000 cubic metres of fuel. How … Continue reading Russia Under Attack: Ukraine Blasts Russian Oil Depot

We appear to be months short of a satisfactory peace settlement in Ukraine. And it is too early to be definite about everything. Yet it is worth mulling over what lessons to draw for the long term from this sorry episode in international relations.            First, everyone without direct access to satellite intelligence and lengthy … Continue reading    Looking Ahead: Hard Lessons from Russia’s War in Ukraine 

Novaya gazeta has closed down while the war continues. It was the last of the media outlets attempting to carry on reporting as normal. ОТ РЕДАКЦИИ Мы приостанавливаем работу Заявление редакции «Новой газеты» «Новая газета»  -7 часов назад

The orientalists in Russia have long been hand in glove with government simply by virtue of the long and arduous training in language and culture they collectively receive. So it is worth listening to them. A leading Russian specialist on China, Mikhail Karpov, dismisses the idea that China is likely to go all in with … Continue reading China to Distance Itself from Russia

MARCH 22, 2022/ JONATHAN HASLAM Putin’s savage war on Ukraine has turned Russia into a country that the most talented no longer wish to live in. The end of February and early March saw a veritable tide of IT specialists leave Russia for the “near abroad.” To the suggestion of one reader that it does not … Continue reading Russia’s Sudden IT Brain Drain

As they say, "What goes around, comes around." President Biden came to office set on being squeaky clean in getting rid of fossil fuels to appease the believers in global warming. So he clamped down on fracking and closed down oil pipelines from Canada. And it felt good. To please Iran, whose deal with the … Continue reading Russians Relish Biden’s Oil Crisis

After Putin went to war with Ukraine and the West began sanctions against Russia, we were told British Petroleum (BP) would divest from Rosneft, a leading Russian oil company. And BP is not just any oil company. It is 46% owned by the British Government. So its actions do not reflect purely private sector responses … Continue reading British Petroleum Still In Bed With Rosneft

At his highly orchestrated rally the president for life would have the people believe that he is saving the country from fascism. The blatant contradiction between his bizarre fantasy and the ugly reality has resulted in a Kafka-esque world for many Russians; particularly the best informed within the state apparatus at home and abroad. The … Continue reading The Growing Consequences of an Orwellian Nightmare