Yesterday the BBC broadcast a documentary exploring the time Russia’s President Vladimir Putin spent in Dresden as an officer of the KGB. According to the writer, Chris Bowlby, this was “The Moment that Made Putin”. Josh Black isn’t so sure. In 1989, Vladimir Putin found himself powerless to defend the offices of the Soviet Union’s … Continue reading
Stephen Kotkin appeared at the London School of Economics to discuss the first volume of his trilogy on Stalin. Josh Black reviews the event. Princeton academic Stephen Kotkin is most famous for his deep dive into the Stalin-era industrial town Magnitorsk. Yet for his latest project, the historian has taken on Uncle Joe himself. The … Continue reading
Dr. Serhii Plokhii is the Mykhailo Hrushevksy Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He is one of the foremost historians of Ukraine. In the second and final part of this interview with Vostok Cable, he talks with Kimberly St. Julian about themes thrown up by his … Continue reading
Dr. Serhii Plokhii is the Mykhailo Hrushevksy Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He is one of the foremost historians of Ukraine. In a two-part interview with Vostok Cable, he talks with Kimberly St. Julian about his career, current work, and the strained relationship between Russia and … Continue reading
New Eastern Europe and EUSpeak contributor, Emily Tamkin, profiles the late Soviet-era dissident, Natalya Gorbanevskaya, whom she interviewed last year. “Soviet dissident Gorbanevskaya dies”, the BBC News headline reads. In fact, it is a title to which Natalya Gorbanevskaya, who passed away in Paris at the age of 77 this past Friday, and who is … Continue reading
Vostok Cable editor, Josh Black, reviews How The Beatles Rocked the Kremlin. The untold story of a noisy revolution. By: Leslie Woodhead. Publisher: Bloomsbury, New York, 2013. What began as the peak of youthful idealism collapsed under unprecedented cynicism, long before outsiders expected. Whether it was external influences, the corrupting influence of money, or sheer … Continue reading
Robert Service is one of the foremost historians of Russia of his generation. In the first part of an interview with Vostok Cable, he talks to Josh Black and Giovanni Cadioli about his career and perceptions of Soviet history. What first got you interested in Soviet history? I was interested in European history. After doing … Continue reading
