False flag attacks are usually just that – false
Successful covert attacks by a country on its own people are extremely hard to pull off, and thus extremely rare.
ByVladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia and has been the country’s leader, with an interlude as prime minister, for more than 22 years. Putin was born in 1952, studied law at Leningrad State University and served for 15 years as a KGB officer before becoming a politician in 1991.
Xi and Putin: are there limits to the “no limits” friendship?
The two leaders seek to remake the global order, while Turkey braces itself for a hotly contested May election.
The world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin
China and Russia are united in an epic struggle against the West – and their leaders seek nothing less than…
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Leaks, lies and strategic offensives
What the leaked Pentagon documents do – and don’t – reveal about where the war in Ukraine is headed.
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Why Russia arrested Evan Gershkovich, with Pjotr Sauer
Can we expect more hostage diplomacy?
Putin digs in for a forever war
New conscription rules signal that the Kremlin has no intention to give up on its war effort.
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Why the Russian Orthodox Church supports the war in Ukraine, with Katherine Kelaidis
How will this conflict affect the future of the Church?
With Belarus, Vladimir Putin continues his nuclear blackmail
Russia’s announcement that it will station nuclear weapons in its neighbouring country is intended to put pressure on the West.
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The meaning of the battle for Bakhmut
Without taking the city Vladimir Putin cannot achieve his war aims.
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Best friends forever? What we learned from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Moscow
China’s leader vows changes not seen in 100 years, plus the legacy of the Iraq war.
Xi Jinping’s desperate gamble on Vladimir Putin
The Chinese leader is framing his visit to Moscow as a “journey for peace” but his calculations go far beyond…
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The diplomatic battle for Taiwan
Taiwan’s remaining allies are being whittled away as Beijing positions itself as a peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine.
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In its pursuit of Russian regime change, the West is doomed to repeat the errors of the Iraq War
A new generation of liberal hawks views Ukraine as the pivotal battlefield in a global struggle for democracy.
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Russia and the new language of war
What we mean when we talk about “kinetic” and “non-kinetic” warfare.
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Has Georgia’s Russian drift come to an end?
Days of fierce protests in Tbilisi have defeated pro-Kremlin legislation.
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Who destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines?
Three main actors are considered potentially culpable.
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The reason why sanctions against Russia are failing
Kleptocracy corrodes democracy and benefits autocrats, argues Raymond Baker in Invisible Millions. Joe Biden should be taking notes.
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Why Alexander Lukashenko’s trip to China matters
The Belarusian autocrat is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, and a useful friend in Beijing’s contest with the West.
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With Western support for Ukraine flagging, a protracted war is in Vladimir Putin’s interest
Ambiguity has held Kyiv’s allies together so far – but it will divide them when the conflict’s final stages approach.
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Will Ukraine run out of ammunition?
Complacency and budget cuts have depleted western reserves since the Cold War.
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