The sanctioned billionaire is an unlikely backchannel between Russia and Ukraine, having brokered prisoner swaps and grain export deals.

The wartime crackdown on clerics linked to Ravil Gainutdin suggests that even loyal religious autonomy is becoming intolerable.

Organizers at the 2026 "Russian Davos" pulled out all the stops to convince visitors it's business as usual in Russia. In some cases, it worked.

A new law allowing Russian officials to hold office in South Ossetia is sparking fears that Moscow is expanding control over the region.

You couldn't ignore the thick black smoke that hung over proceedings — though people tried — rather like Russia's weakened economy.

Putin may have stayed in St. Petersburg if the 1996 electoral defeat of his political mentor hadn't propelled him to pursue a career in Moscow.

Disguising contract military service as volunteering or paid work opportunities is not unheard of.

Tokyo may have condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but it remains naive about the political ramifications of the Festival of Russian Culture in Japan.

Ahead of Armenia's crucial election this weekend, Russia has banned a growing list of imports on spurious grounds. It's a familiar playbook.

Some exiled critics of the Belarusian government have started to suggest that the West could use Lukashenko to change the system. They're wrong.

A cottage industry of articles and even books predicting Russia's collapse has sprung from a lack of imagination and expertise.

Science cannot uncover the truth when constrained by ideology. It's a problem afflicting academics in Russia, but also the United States.

While headlines fixate on Putin's popularity and support for the war, many Russians spend more time talking about travel and online shopping.

Russia likes to believe that its colonization of Central Asia civilized and modernized the region. But local scholars no longer accept that narrative.

Journalists should not serve political movements. But Russia's opposition treats unflattering reporting as tantamount to Kremlin propaganda.

With tax hikes having failed to make up for Russia's budget deficit, the authorities are targeting small businesses that are acting legitimately.

With Armenia going to the polls soon, the country's pro-Russian opposition is divided and behind the times as Yerevan courts the West.

You only ship nuclear reactor components across your country via a circuitous route half way around the world if you have no other option.