Following yesterday’s article which described Russia as ‘a giant with feet of clay’ in its efforts to promote integration in the CIS, Paul Hansbury responds with some reflections on Russia’s deal with Ukraine. Yesterday Vladimir Sarkisyants argued that Russia’s trade deal with Ukraine is an example of the former’s vulnerability. I agree with this argument. … Continue reading
From 2006 to 2012, Tony Halpin was The Times’ Moscow Correspondent. Here, he talks to Josh Black about life as a foreign journalist in Russia, the Litvinenko affair and the Russo-Georgian War. How did you become interested in Eastern Europe? That’s quite a long story but I’ll give you the brief version. I was sent … Continue reading
Summary of news stories up to 16 September 2013 Russia and the United States had agreed a plan to eliminate chemical weapons from Syria, reducing the likelihood of imminent US-led air strikes. The deal has widely been seen as a victory for Russia, and Putin’s opinion piece in the New York Times made use of … Continue reading
The news to 26 August 2013 Belarus arrested the Russian Chief Executive of Ukrali, a potash producer. Vladislav Baumgertner was traveling to meet Belarus’ Prime Minister when detained. A video of him being searched later appeared on state television, suggesting that the arrest was revenge for the affront caused when Russia withdrew from a cartel … Continue reading
In a reply to yesterday’s post on Nabucco’s woes, Andrew Ryan argues that the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline deal was economically-driven. I think a few things are clear from the previous article, most notably that the decision to opt for the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline was entirely economic. It was driven by market opportunities, scalability, management operability, funding, project … Continue reading
Notwithstanding Jose Manuel Barroso’s reverential trips to Baku, Nabucco seems unlikely to happen for the foreseeable future. The prospect of gas imports through Iraq or Iran is more feasible, but it still needs proven reliability and political backing to be viable, writes Paolo Sorbello. Without any Trans-Caspian gas, a pipeline system with too much capacity … Continue reading
Obama’s decision to snub Russia’s president is priggish when contrasted to his approach to America’s allies. Josh Black puts the case for going ahead with the pre-G20 summit. Not for the first time this year, Russia’s president has had his American opposite number at a disadvantage. The decision to grant the whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, asylum … Continue reading
The news to 4 August 2013 Russia granted Edward Snowden temporary asylum. The alleged leaker has now left the Moscow airport where he has been staying for five weeks. The White House indicated that President Obama may boycott a bilateral meeting with President Putin scheduled to take place in September as a response to Russia’s … Continue reading
The news to 14 July. The late Sergey Magnitsky has been found guilty of tax fraud. Magnitsky, a lawyer for Bill Browder’s Hermitage Fund, died in prison in 2009 after having been arrested for accusing Russian officials of the same crime. His death and the ensuing posthumous trial have been a source of diplomatic friction between … Continue reading
The news to 7 July 2013 Leading Russian members of Parliament have called for Edward Snowdon to accept asylum in Venezuela, but official Russian policy has remained vague as Mr. Snowdon spent his second week in a Moscow airport. Source: Washington Post Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, said in an interview with the daily Gazeta Wyborcza … Continue reading
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