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Articles by Ivan Sukhov

opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Are Blind to the Horror Around Them (Op-Ed)

Russian society's inability to respond in a timely manner to serious injustices, just like a pupil that does not respond to light, cannot mean anything...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Back to the Future: A Changing World (Op-Ed)


Social networks are brimming right now with nostalgic photo collages based on the second “Back to the Future” movie.


opinion Ivan Sukhov

Will Syria Improve Russia's Image in the West? (Op-Ed)

It seems the West has already made its decision, casting Russia as the bogeyman and not as the leader of an international anti-terrorist coalition...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

War Is Exposing Cracks in Russian Society (Op-Ed)

The Russian public's mood is strikingly reminiscent of that found in the papers and memoirs of World War I: both then and now, war is initially an anesthesia...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Has No Wild Card to Play in Syria (Op-Ed)

The Islamic State is indeed a common enemy to both Russia and the West, and possibly far more than Putin realizes, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Behind the Times on Migrant Crisis (Op-Ed)

Many Russians clearly yearn for walls and closed gates and consider it pure madness to open the gates of Europe to those who need help, writes columnist...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russian Opposition Must Stop Playing the Fool (Op-Ed)

Opposition leaders must do more than maintain their image as handsome, smart guys who would transform Russia if only the tyrannical powers would let them...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Must Open Up and Think Long Term (Op-Ed)

Hundreds of thousands of Russian children started school on Sept. 1 and they will graduate in what will be a completely different national and international...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russian Courts Make Mockery of Justice (Op-Ed)

Recent rulings in Russian courts show the Kremlin's utter contempt for the Russian people, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Drifting Into the Great Unknown (Op-Ed)

The Russian people have no idea toward which port the ship of state is sailing, much less whether it is a worthwhile destination, writes columnist...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Remembering Russia's Unlucky Augusts (Op-Ed)

If Russia and the rest of the world had done a better job analyzing the events of August 2008 and August 1991, the conflict in Ukraine could have...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Must Forget the Past and Think Ahead (Op-Ed)

Many Russians are quick to point the finger at those to blame for the country's predicament, but nobody offers any solutions or ideas for the future...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Who Will Build a Better Future for Russia? (Op-Ed)

As more young and well-edcuated people start to leave Russia, columnist Ivan Sukhov asks who'll be left to build a better future for the country.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

The High Price of Russian Patriotism (Op-Ed)

Being a patriot is not as simple as living in one's motherland, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Why Russian Apathy Is Worrisome (Op-Ed)

The lack of protest over the closure of Dynasty Foundation and the Committee Against Torture is a worrying precedent.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Can Russia Learn Lessons From Greece? (Op-Ed)

Russians shouldn't gloat too much over what is happening in Greece as it offers Russians the chance to see what could happen to their own country if...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's Disunity Makes It Vulnerable to IS (Op-Ed)

Russia finds itself in an unenviable position as the Islamic State lays claim to the North Caucasus, writes Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Putin Has Trapped Russia in a Vicious Circle (Op-Ed)

Putin shares the opinion of most Russians that a second attempt at perestroika could finish the country off. If he remains president, the situation...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Inconvenient Truth Lies Behind Putin's War Talk (Op-Ed)

The more Russia lies now about its power and might, the greater will be its fall when its real weakness is exposed, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Putin's Russia Is Not 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' (Op-Ed)

Modern Russia cannot be compared to the Soviet Union, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russian Youth Are Dancing to Kremlin's Tune

Ever since prehistoric times, humans living in large groups or communities have tended to imitate each other.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

In Putin's Russia, Might Is Right (Op-Ed)

Russia's growing cult of ruffians and punks masks a gaping institutional void, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

What Russia Can Learn From Ukraine's Failure

It seems that the 70th-anniversary Victory Day celebrations have robbed Russian society and political leaders of all emotional strength — strength...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Crimea Has Awakened Russia's Sleeping Demons

The events of the past year have released demons in Russia that will not be easily controlled, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Kremlin Is Clutching at Straws on Victory Day

The Russian authorities realize that remembering World War II unites the country like nothing else, and that's a problem, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Have Selective Memory on Victory Day

Victory Day is approaching, but very few Russians know much about Nazi Germany and how to avoid falling into the same trap of totalitarianism, writes...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Is Russia a Kamikaze Country?


Russia has not dealt with or come to terms with its past and this has led to a dangerous ideological vacuum, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Nobody Wants to Live in the Mean New Russia

Russian society is becoming angrier, meaner and more dangerous, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Why Russia Won Nothing in Chechnya

Russians need to wake up to the fact that there were no victories gained in Chechnya, and the lawlessness of the North Caucasus republic is now spreading...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Slamming Door After Door on the West

Russia has burned another bridge with the West by leaving the CFE Treaty, but it has been burning bridges for some time already and will likely continue...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

We Are All Victims of Nemtsov's Murder

Nemtsov's death will have serious consequences for all of us, including Putin, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Kremlin Glorifies Military, Ignores Social Decay

The glitzy fanfare on state television for the Feb. 23 holiday can't hide the sad reality of life now for many who lived in the Soviet Union, writes...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

A Very Modern Type of War Is Raging in Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine is setting a dangerous precedent and could set off more violence within the post-Soviet space, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

After Minsk, Enormous Challenges Lie Ahead

Despite the good news from Minsk, serious problems between Russia and the West still exist just below the surface, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Chechnya's Growing Image Problem

Neither the West nor Russia can afford to turn their backs on Chechnya, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Nuclear Armageddon Threatens World Again

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the world is once again plunged into uncertainty as war has returned to Europe and the nuclear...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Left Out in the Cold by Its Neighbors

Russia's relations with the former Soviet republics have been in decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union and its attempted integration projects...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Are Sleepwalking Into Chaos

As Russians get back to reality after the New Year holidays, they have to face facts that nothing is certain anymore and that dark clouds are gathering...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russians Feel a Tempest Brewing

The declining health of Russian society is becoming increasingly obvious, and this could bring big changes in 2015, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Refuses to Remember Its Own History

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the First Chechen War and the lack of commemoration of this event shows that Russia has yet to come to terms...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Repeating Old Mistakes

The annexation of Crimea shows that there are many in Russia who would like a restoration of the Soviet Union, but this will only end in failure...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Playing With Fire in the CIS

Russia's foreign policy has focused more and more on the CIS 2, a group of unrecognized states in the former Soviet space, but this could backfire...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Is Hurtling Toward Disaster

The increasing pressure on both Memorial and Ekho Moskvy shows just how unbearable the situation is becoming for Russians who disagree with where...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Putin and Gorbachev on Same Side of Berlin Wall

Gorbachev's recent speech in Germany shows that he has much in common with Putin — 25 years after its fall, both carry around the heavy burden of the...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Why Russia's Unity Day Has No Meaning

It seems that nobody knows anymore which set of values is capable of uniting multiethnic Russia — or even ethnic Russians for that matter, writes...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Putin Is Living in the Past

Putin's speech at Vladai illustrated that he is getting further and further out of touch with the rest of the world, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Why Putin Is So Angry

Putin's frustration and anger are becoming more evident and stem from his belief that the West is ignoring what seem to him to be basic truths, writes...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Should Be More Involved in Middle East

The situation in the Middle East is complicated, but one thing is clear: Russia and the U.S. face a common threat and must work together to fight...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Will Putin Become a New Stalin?

Putin has ensured his political survival by never fully committing to a single course, but this cannot continue, as his popularity will inevitably decline...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russian Foreign Policy Is Based on Illusions

Russia's foreign policy is based on illusions of empire, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

A Protest March Headed for Russia's Borders

Russia's political environment has deteriorated to such a degree that for many it now makes more sense to leave the country than to try to improve...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Donbass Is Not Scotland

State media's comparisons of Donetsk to Scotland are utterly ridiculous, in large part because post-Soviet referendums are always messier than Great...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Putin's Nationalism and Expansion Strategy Is Doomed to Fail

Putin is exploiting both Russian nationalism and an innate desire for expansion in his Ukrainian strategy. Though this might distract Russians from domestic...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's Extended Family Is Falling Apart

The Ukrainian crisis is a perfect example of how the extended Russian family is breaking up and that Russia is doing nothing to entice its family...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Has Forgotten Beslan

Ten years since Beslan and the problems of the Caucasus are all but forgotten by Russians. The anniversary may serve as a sad reminder, writes columnist...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's History Is Incomplete

Gaps in Russia's memory keep the nation from a true understanding of itself and the world, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's Nationalists Will Rue Their Scare Tactics

Russian conservatism is experiencing a revival, but its leaders risk becoming trapped in the illusion that they have a clear picture of their country...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Corruption Blights Russia's Natural Heritage

Russia's environmental degradation isn't for lack of laws, but lack of enforcement, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia Needs the EU's Help, Not Its Sanctions

Like a teenager exhibiting aggressive behavior, Russia needs the help of a very patient and high-minded adult, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Israel's War Reflects Paradoxes of Ukraine Crisis

The effect of the European "anti-war protest" has little bearing on the fears and anxieties of front line Gaza, just as EU policy has little effect...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Soviet Myth Lures Russia Into Danger


After the passage of 20 years, the Soviet Union has become an almost mythological entity akin to Atlantis, writes columnist Ivan Sukhov.
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's Corruption Stokes ISIS Terrorism

Russia's uneasy relationship with its Muslim population may grow even more unstable once fighters return home from Syria and Iraq, columnist Ivan Sukhov...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Ukraine's Refugees Are Now My Neighbors

The plight of refugees shifts from abstract drama to sober reality when your own relatives from eastern Ukraine move in with you, writes columnist...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Russia's Bad Manners Will Be Its Downfall

Only well-functioning public institutions – not hysterical TV commentators and miles of St. George ribbons – can produce the sense of inner well-being...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Kremlin May Become Separatists' Next Target

Russians' contradictory attitudes toward the Soviet Union mean that its imperial legacy has continued dangerously past its formal dissolution, inspiring...
opinion Ivan Sukhov

Abkhazia's Crisis Sets a New Precedent

By calmly standing by as protestors unseated Abkhazia's president, the Kremlin effectively sanctioned the violent seizure of power by the citizens...