Russia

Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in the streets of Russia’s cities to support the dissident politician Alexei Navalny, who is currently on hunger strike in a prison hospital. The fact that those numbers were down on the crowds who massed to protest against his arrest and trial… »

This week while attention in the Middle East was focused on talks between Iran and other world powers to re-establish the Iran Nuclear Deal and get the USA re-signed up to it, a report came out of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague,… »

Potential Escalation in Hostilities Requires Focus on Civilian Protection International attention to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine had faded in recent years. Recent reports of Russia massing troops near Ukraine’s border have brought it back into focus. Monitors reported a significant uptick in hostilities in recent weeks. »

Russia on Sunday launched the first weather satellite  from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, informed. The launch of the spacecraft, designed to monitor climate and environmental conditions in the North Polar zones, is the third of 29 planned for 2021. Roscosmos General Director Dmitry… »

By Glenn Diesen, a Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. Follow him on Twitter @glenndiesen. Europe’s three largest cities lie outside the European Union, or four if you count Istanbul, and 40% of people on… »

The vaccine, which needs to be stored between two and eight degrees Celsius, also scores over Pfizer and Moderna’s efforts which require extremely low temperatures. Sandipan Talukdar The COVID-19 vaccine developed in Russia – Sputnik V – has an efficacy of 92% against COVID-19… »

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the start of large scale vaccination against coronavirus in Russia, by the end of next week. Medics and teachers will be the first to get the shots and participation will be voluntary. Russia’s pharma industry is ready to meet the challenge, Putin said during a… »

Russia has given a permanent residence permit to Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency public interest informant. Edward Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since 2013 when he disclosed the American secret services’ programs of massive surveillance. The USA has requested his extradition for violating espionage laws. Today’s… »

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union came to an agreement to eliminate their stocks of intermediate-range and shorter-range (or “medium-range”) land-based missiles (which could carry nuclear warheads). In February 2019, the United States announced it was suspending compliance with it. This has opened up the possibility of… »

By Jeroen Bult Not always natural allies, France and the Baltic states have a more nuanced relationship than their disagreements over Russia may suggest, argues Dutch historian and journalist Jeroen Bult. Baltics in-depth. “The visit I am paying to your country is a visit of the Eternal France… »