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Andrew Osborn
Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle in memory of the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack, on the day of national mourning in a church at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on March 24.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2024
Dagestan shootings spotlight rising Islamist threat for Putin
The latest violence, with at least 20 killed in coordinated shootings in Russia's far south on Sunday, raises tough questions for its intelligence and security services.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Kyiv use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, something he said could trigger a global conflict.
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2024
Think tank close to Kremlin says Russia should consider a 'demonstrative' nuclear explosion
The idea was suggested as a way to cow the West into refusing to allow Ukraine to use its arms against targets inside Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
May 25, 2024
Putin wants Ukraine cease-fire on current front lines, sources say
The Russian president is also prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond, according to sources.
Andrei Belousov has been described as a tough-talking and professional government insider who once led a campaign to wring more money out of big business for the state, proving he had sharp enough elbows to navigate the system.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 14, 2024
Surprise pick as Russia’s defense minister is tough-talking economist and Putin ally
Andrei Belousov's appointment as defense chief suggests to many that President Vladimir Putin is reshaping Russia for a long war in Ukraine.
Andrei Belousov, economic aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2024
Putin taps economist to run defense in unexpected move
It is vital to ensure military spending aligns with Russia's overall economy, a Kremlin spokesperson said.
Alexandra Skochilenko, a 33-year-old artist charged with spreading false information about Russia's armed forces, is escorted during a court hearing in St. Petersburg on Nov. 8.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2023
Lawyers seek release of Russian artist who staged anti-war protest
Alexandra Skochilenko has spent over 1½ years in prison in St. Petersburg as the Russian legal system deals with her case.
Russian lawmakers attend a session of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, in Moscow in 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2023
Russian lawmakers asked to study revoking nuclear test ban treaty
Revoking the ratification would send a warning that Moscow can fundamentally change the assumptions of post-Cold War nuclear planning.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev prior to a meeting in Brussels on May 14
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2023
In taking Karabakh, Azerbaijan's president avenged his father
A confluence of factors had convinced Ilham Aliyev, 61, that the time was right to do something his father couldn't.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2023
Where are Russia's top generals? Rumors swirl after mercenary mutiny
Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny. Absent from view too is Gen. Sergei Surovikin.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 28, 2023
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko feted in Russia after mutiny role
It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending the Wagner mutiny that threatened to destabilize the world's largest nuclear power.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 6, 2023
Russia's mercenary boss deepens fog of Ukraine war while deflecting blame
The announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, that his fighters will abandon the city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2023
Kremlin drone incident gives Putin cover to deepen Ukraine war
Inside Russia, the incident helped reinforce the Kremlin-backed narrative that its war in Ukraine is an existential one for the Russian state and people.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2023
Kremlin critic jailed for 25 years for treason
Vladimir Kara-Murza spoke out against President Vladimir Putin for years and successfully lobbied Western governments to impose sanctions on Russia.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 14, 2023
Kremlin moves to rein in Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin
The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has grabbed headlines over his role in Ukraine and is sometimes portrayed in the West as a real-life James Bond villain.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 14, 2023
Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success
Prominent Putin supporters have contrasted the Wagner Group's progress with what they say has been a less impressive performance by the regular military.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 21, 2022
Russia's 'General Armageddon' under pressure to deliver after retreat
Sergei Surovikin recommended Moscow's forces quit Kherson, and now the Hero of Russia recipient is under pressure on the cusp of winter to show his bet was the right one.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Oct 19, 2022
Putin is safe in power for now, but risks lie ahead, current and former officials say
Russian leader's grip on power remains firm despite military setbacks in Ukraine, a botched mobilization and political infighting, eight well-informed sources say.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2022
Will a cornered Putin follow through on his nuclear threats?
In his most recent comments, Putin explicitly warned the West that he would use all available means to defend Russian territory.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 24, 2022
Putin bets winter gas chokehold will yield Ukraine peace — on his terms
According to sources familiar with Kremlin thinking, this may be the only path to victory that Moscow sees, given Kyiv's defiant stance.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 29, 2021
'Erasing history': Russia closes top rights group, capping year of crackdowns
The closure of Memorial International bookmarks a year in which Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's top critic, was jailed, his movement banned and many of his allies forced to flee.

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