Russian historian: ‘Ukraine is not a branch of Russia’ Andrey Aksenov, historian and podcaster, talks to Al Jazeera about dictatorship, national identity and the Ukraine war. Al Jazeera · Jun 21, 2022
Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, 91, 'seriously ill' with kidney ailment Former president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, 91, is on dialysis for a serious kidney ailment after suffering repeated and "worsening" health issues, Russian media outlet Mash reported Daily Mirror · Jun 20, 2022
Gennady Burbulis, top Yeltsin aide and official, dies at 76 A top aide to Russian President Boris Yeltsin who helped prepare and signed the 1991 pact that led to the formal breakup of the Soviet Union has died The Independent UK · Jun 19, 2022
Ukraine and Poland: why the countries fell out in the past, and are now closely allied No country supports the Ukrainian war effort more passionately than Poland, and no country shelters more Ukrainian refugees. Ukrainian-Polish relations have never been better. Polish political parties might disagree about everything else, but they all strongly support Ukraine and her borders. The Conversation · Jun 15, 2022
As Russia goes dark, Vladimir Putin could be taking cues from Kim Jong Un on how to quash dissent Vladimir Putin has been steadily winding back the clock on Russia's democracy. Independent media outlets have been shuttered, Western businesses have left and free speech has effectively been stamped out. ABC News · Jun 10, 2022
Goodbye Golden Arches: Rebranded McDonald’s to Reopen in Russia Sunday marks a new dawn for Russia's fast-food lovers as former McDonald's Corp restaurants reopen under new branding and ownership, more than three decades after the arrival of the hugely popular Western fast food chain. The relaunch will begin on Russia Day, a patriotic holiday celebrating the country's independence, at… Asharq Al-Awsat · Jun 10, 2022
Commentary: It’s time to end our sister city relationships with Russia In 1956, President Eisenhower faced a new kind of threat to world peace. The postwar balance of power between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the emergence of regional proxy wars, international espionage and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. The Cold War required a different approach… Los Angeles Times · Jun 10, 2022
Ukraine Dependent on Arms from Allies after Exhausting Soviet-era Weaponry Ukraine has depleted its Soviet and Russian-designed weaponry and is now completely dependent on allies for arms to defend against Russia's invasion, US military sources say. Once part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine's army and its defense industry were built around Soviet and Russian-standard equipment, small arms, tanks, howitzers and… Asharq Al-Awsat · Jun 10, 2022
Vladimir Putin's right-hand woman is Valentina Matviyenko, a Ukrainian-born politician who passionately supports his war She left her Ukrainian village for St Petersburg, dreaming of becoming a scientist. Instead she met a young KGB agent named Vladimir Putin who would eventually change her life. ABC News · Jun 9, 2022
Ukraine Recap: POWs' death sentence – a return of the 'show trials'? The shocking news that two Britons fighting with the Ukrainian armed forces who were captured after the siege of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol have been sentenced to death brings to mind the bad old days of the Soviet Union, when thousands who fell foul of Stalin were condemned after… The Conversation · Jun 9, 2022
Putin says no Iron Curtain will close off Russia's economy President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that no Iron Curtain would fall over the Russian economy despite the sanctions imposed by the West because Moscow would not close itself off from the world like the Soviet Union did. Reuters · Jun 9, 2022
Summit of the Americas opens in LA as US grapples with deteriorating relations and influence WASHINGTON — It was the early 1990s, and the Western world seemed full of promise. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and the Cold War that had gripped and shaped global politics for decades was over. Los Angeles Times · Jun 6, 2022
Ronald Reagan's Westminster speech: why it is still relevant, 40 years later Ronald Reagan became the first US president to address both houses of parliament on June 8 1982. His Westminster speech created a stir at the time. It marked the start of the evolution of the Reagan doctrine, his approach to foreign affairs that sought to support freedom and roll back… The Conversation · Jun 6, 2022
Transnistria: Moldova's breakaway region in the shadow of war in Ukraine With the war in Ukraine now in its 100th day, we focus on the situation in Transnistria, a small breakaway region of Moldova on Ukraine’s south-western border. Western countries suspect the region of acting as a rear base for the Russian military. The separatist enclave, which has claimed its independence… France 24 · Jun 3, 2022
WEKU · Jun 2, 2022 Former Estonian president speaks about the war in Ukraine and the way forward Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves wasn't surprised Russia invaded Ukraine. In an interview on his family's farm, he says he hopes the world is waking up to the dangers Russia poses.
The Hindu · May 31, 2022 The middle path for India in the new world disorder The arena of the looming U.S.-China great power contest is Asia. Instead of aligning with any bloc, India should aim to create new pillars of the global order through engagement and partnership with middle powers
Bangkok Post · May 25, 2022 Finlandisation: Asia plays the neutrality card 'Finlandisation" describes the commitment to strategic neutrality that a small country might make, in order to avoid provoking a much larger and more powerful neighbour. The term is derived from Finland's longstanding policy of strict military non-alignment with either the Soviet Union or the West -- a policy that it…
Inverse · May 24, 2022 50 years ago, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. joined forces to ensure astronauts could survive in space In 1972, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. signed a landmark agreement that led to the first international space mission — a test to ensure one superpower could help the other's astronauts out in space.
France 24 · May 22, 2022 ‘The Hill’: Cannes film revisits the Soviet Union’s smouldering remains The violent legacy of the break-up of the Soviet Union is dissected in “The Hill” by Lina Tsrimova and Denis Gheerbrant, an astonishing documentary shot entirely on a gargantuan rubbish heap in Kyrgyzstan and screened this week at the Cannes Film Festival’s parallel section ACID.
The Hindu · May 21, 2022 When war strikes home For a Bhilai cohort, disintegration of USSR was bad enough, and now the conflict has inflicted a deep gash
Los Angeles Times · May 20, 2022 Review: The underappreciated James Gray returns to Cannes with a memoir of '80s New York CANNES, France — The title of James Gray's "Armageddon Time," which premiered in competition Thursday night at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival, is a wry reference to a comment made by Ronald Reagan during his first presidential campaign: "We may be the generation that sees Armageddon," he said in…
The Independent UK · May 16, 2022 Once a powerful symbol in Russia, McDonald's withdraws Two months after the Berlin Wall fell, another powerful symbol opened its doors in the middle of Moscow: a gleaming new McDonald’s
The Conversation · May 16, 2022 Why Emmanuel Macron's peace efforts with Vladimir Putin are probably pointless On Victory Day — the May 9 commemoration of the former Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War — Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected to officially declare war on Ukraine.
Reuters · May 16, 2022 Latvian minister resigns after commemoration of Soviet wartime victory Latvia's interior minister resigned on Monday under pressure from the ruling coalition which criticized the police for failing to ban the country's Russian speakers from commemorating earlier this month the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two.
The Conversation · May 12, 2022 Ukraine recap: reality is beginning to rain on Putin's Victory Parade This time last week, the world was anxiously awaiting the annual Victory Day celebrations in Russia for a clue as to what Vladimir Putin might be planning for his war in Ukraine. Victory Day, held every year on May 9, is a commemoration of the victory over Nazism in Europe,…