President Putin

Ukrainian soldiers ride in a military vehicle to the front line during a fight, amid Russia's invasion in Ukraine, near Izyum, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, April 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jorge Silva.

What Does the West Want in Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine with expansive aims that, if achieved, would have essentially ended that country’s existence as a sovereign state. Faced with costly military setbacks,…

Richard Haass 30 April 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China February 4, 2022. Sputnik/Aleksey Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

The Next Sino-Russian Split?

From within a war, it is hard to think about what comes next. Rarely has this been more true than for the current Russo-Ukrainian war. Our thinking is necessarily clouded by the suffering that…

Odd Arne Westad 15 April 2022

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on as he is surrounded by Ukrainian servicemen as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Russia’s War in Ukraine Enters New Phase

After 40 days of Russia’s war in Ukraine the conflict seems to show no end in sight and has entered a new phase. After suffering significant defeats and failing to take Kyiv, Odessa, and Kharkiv…

Maia Otarashvili 08 April 2022

The Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet 145th Rescue Ship Squad's Prut class rescue tug EPRON sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

Turkey Attempts a Neutral Stance on Russia and Ukraine

The Turkish government considered the Russian military operation in Ukraine, which began on February 24, to be a "war." As a result, the transit of ships through the two straits was prohibited since…

Jiwan Soz 05 March 2022

Putin Is Not Smiling

Schadenfreude is a staple of propaganda, and so one might expect that Russia’s state media is enjoying the spectacle of the most serious American unrest since the 1960s. Surely, one might assume,…

Anna Arutunyan 26 June 2020

Where Is Russia’s Strongman in the Coronavirus Crisis?

In Russia, the pandemic has wrong-footed both the opposition and the authorities. The opposition, used to comparing President Vladimir Putin’s regime unfavourably with largely more effective…

Alexander Baunov 05 June 2020

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