Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Articles by Mark Galeotti

opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia’s Hardliners Present Their Manifesto

If head of Russian security council Nikolai Patrushev has his way, what will Russia become?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Echoes of Afghanistan in Russian Soldiers’ Poor Discipline in Ukraine

Obvious failures in discipline tend to reflect soldiers who are not only hungry, but angry and out of control.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Love Bombing Moscow

The best way to condemn Putin is to show ordinary Russians that we love them, respect their culture and admire the admirable in their history.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Personal Politics of Putin’s Security Council Meeting

If the Russian president never faces a war crimes tribunal, he ought to face an industrial one, as he seems to cultivate a toxic work environment.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Anti-War Broadside Highlights Nationalist Critique of Putin

The anti-war letter published by a fringe former colonel-general is a useful reminder that Putin’s nationalist rhetoric doesn’t convince everyone.
opinion Mark Galeotti

London’s Ukraine Coup Claims Strain Both Belief and Consensus

In an age of disinformation, it is no longer enough for governments simply to hint at having intelligence in support of their claims.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia and West Continue to Talk, But Not Necessarily in the Same Language

For Moscow, talks with the U.S. on NATO and Ukraine are like divorce proceedings at the end of a long, increasingly bitter marriage.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Criminals’ Open Letter Shines Light on Prison Torture and Prison Power

The one-page letter may well be illustrating not simply the continued use of brutal and illegal tactics by prison authorities, but also the evolution of...
opinion Mark Galeotti

What Good Could the Putin/Biden Conversation Really Do?

While no big results came out of the Putin-Biden talks, it would be a mistake to consider the conversation futile and fruitless.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Unlikely to Know Any More Than Us if Invasion Is Coming to Ukraine

This Russian administration does not tend to work on rigid, long term plans of the sort intended to bring about checkmate in 15 moves. 
opinion Mark Galeotti

The West’s Response to Lukashenko’s Migrant Gambit Might Seal Belarus’ Fate

Moscow’s problem is that having thrown their weight behind Lukashenko, they are now stuck with him.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Climate Change Defines Some of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Putinism

There has been a change in the Russian president’s thinking that forms a case study of policymaking in such a personalized and centralized system.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Scapegoating Russia Over Our Gas Problems Is Not the Answer

The gas crisis is a fitting metaphor for the challenges of the modern world: complex, global, hard to fix and likely to have long and unpredictable impacts...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Who Cares About the Pandora Papers?

The sorry truth would seem to be that by now no one is either surprised nor mobilized by the Pandora revelations. 
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Looks to Establish a ‘Techno-Authoritarian’ Power Vertical 2.0

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has the ambition to manage Russia and sees the country's future in a smoothly-operating government machine.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why the Duma Elections Still Matter

The current electoral process, however rigged and policed, will help the next generation to shape Russia.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow Watches Kabul’s Fall With Some Satisfaction, Much Concern

The Kremlin will wait now to see whether the Taliban will fare any better than any of the other powers who have thought they could reshape the country...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Of MICE and Men in the Berlin Spy Game

The arrest of David Smith in Berlin appears to show that there are more than a few in the West who see something genuinely admirable in Russia.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Real Politics Is Being Forced on Russia’s Communist Party

The Kremlin is abandoning attempts to cosplay democracy and relying more openly on the suppression of any critical voices, including the KPRF.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Blockbuster Guardian Leaks Cannot Yet Either Be Discounted Nor Accepted

I’ll neither take the Guardian’s blockbuster story as gospel truth nor cynical fake. I’ll just wait and see how this plays out.
opinion Mark Galeotti

New National Security Strategy Is a Paranoid’s Charter

Russia's new National Strategy regards not just foreign countries as a threat, but the very processes reshaping the modern world.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow Turns Up the Volume Over HMS Defender

The media coverage that followed yesterday’s clash is telling in what it says about Russian goals and sensitivities.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Emotions Central to the Putin-Biden Summit

It is not that American policy should be subordinated to Putin’s emotional neuralgias, but Biden should at least know what he is dealing with.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Are the Minsk II Peace Accords Worth Preserving?

It is time to recognize that the Minsk process has run its course — and may if anything be blocking any more meaningful dialogue. 
opinion Mark Galeotti

Hacking Controversy Highlights Kremlin’s Self-Destructive Approach

The cybersecurity debate is a metaphor for a wider problem for Moscow and the West, undermining last efforts to find grounds for cooperation.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Great Turn in Putin’s Post-Post-Modern Authoritarianism

A regime that for twenty years sought to be an exemplar of a kind of “hybrid authoritarianism,” seems to be seeking to get back to basics.
opinion Mark Galeotti

A Seven-Year Fuse Blows Up Czech-Russian Relations

It is hard to know what is most surprising about the fatal depot story: the timing, the scale of the Czech response, or the operation itself.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Crimea Endures, Neither Hellhole Nor Paragon

Crimea seems to be neither a shining beacon nor a slough of despond, disappointing both Moscow and its critics.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Problem Facing Today’s Corrupt Officials and Soviet Black Marketeers: What to Do With the Cash?

Unable to bank their ill-gotten gains, today’s corrupt officials find themselves in the same circumstances as the tsekhoviki, the magnates of the late...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moral Panic About Russian ‘Vaccine Diplomacy’ Is a Western Blunder

Efforts to prevent the take-up of Sputnik V are morally reprehensible, they are politically counter-productive.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Turns on Russia’s ‘Subversive Transparency’

The state finally seems to be trying to crackdown on its thriving black market for stolen data.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Navalny the ‘Escape Risk’ Faces a Campaign of Silence

The Kremlin hopes it can bury Navalny in the prison system while it blackens his name and grinds away at his movement.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Team Navalny Needs Strategy for the ‘Phoney War’

Can Navalny's organisation develop from anti-corruption activism into a broader movement, learning from Belarus?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Navalny Also Needs to Reach Russia’s ‘Men in Grey Suits’

Street protests rarely bring about political change in isolation, actual change usually comes from self-interested elites.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Medvedev Sets Out His Stand For Rapprochement With U.S., Relevance For Himself

The ex-President is searching for significance. As Biden enters office, he might just have some encouraging things to say.
opinion Mark Galeotti

No One Benefits From Renewed Demonizing of Russia

The continued presentation of a Russian threat that is both outsized and out of control is profoundly problematic for the West itself.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia in 2021: Whitewashing Cliffs and Placing Sandbags

In an increasingly unpredictable world, the Kremlin is choosing to go on the defensive.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Latest Navalny Investigation Puts an Increasingly Paranoid Kremlin on the Spot

The bombshell Navalny investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider reveals some alarming conclusions about the mood of the late-Putinist Kremlin.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Time for Moscow to Move On and Stop Thinking So Much About Washington

Attempting to match America is a terrible act of self-harm — and it is doomed to fail.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russian Ceasefire Deal in Nagorno-Karabakh Marks Slow, Painful End of Empire in the South Caucasus

Azerbaijan is triumphant — but its triumph, while recognized by Russia, was really delivered by Turkey.
opinion Mark Galeotti

No Country for Old Spooks: Reshuffle at the Top of the FSB Will Set the Tone for Remainder of Putin Era

The offhand way that one of the most powerful men most people haven’t heard of was dismissed may say something even about the Navalny case.
opinion Mark Galeotti

EU’s Navalny Sanctions Miss the Mark

I cannot help but feel the pressure to act sometimes forces governments to do something soon, rather than do something smart.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin’s UN Speech Masks Decline in Confident Rhetoric

While presenting Russia as a world leader, Putin was actually rehearsing the defense of a nation in decline.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia’s Murderous Adhocracy

A system in which everyone wants to earn the president’s favor means political murder is no longer a monopoly of the state.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Lukashenko’s Gamble on Thuggishness

Like a gambler who knows he has bet all he has and cannot afford to lose, the Belarusian strongman has doubled down.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Lebedev’s Peerage Highlights London’s Need to Address Russian Influence

Johnson seems eager to show his contempt for British intelligence by granting a peerage to his longtime friend and political asset.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Safronov Case Marks an Escalation of a New Campaign Against Dissent

The Kremlin has unleashed the Federal Security Service against critical voices in the media and cultural spheres.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The ‘Talibangate’ Claims About Russian Bounties Still Don’t Add Up

A story that raises serious probability questions is being accepted by many as proven.
opinion Mark Galeotti

This Year’s Victory Parade Was Both Impressive and A Little Sad

The limits of Russia’s present strength were evident in the supporting cast Putin could assemble.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Spy Cases Map Contours of Kremlin Geopolitics

The recent spy scandals expose once again Russia’s transactional approach to international politics.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Coronavirus a Mixed Blessing for Russia’s Underworld

The more serious the economic slowdown, the more likely that this will lead to a redistribution of underworld power.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russian Newspaper Coverage of the U.S. Time of Troubles

It turns out much of Russian media is just not that interested in the American riots.
opinion Mark Galeotti

No Victory Day for Sobyanin, or the Other Regional Bosses

Even in the best-case scenario, the victory parade will mean more infections across Russia.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin Withdraws From the Coronavirus Crisis in a Political Abdication

Putin is clearly eager to avoid being identified with the pandemic and the difficult measures being adopted to fight it.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Prague Assassination Claims Alarming but Fortunately Likely Fantasy

Why I find it hard to take the story at face value.
opinion Mark Galeotti

If Putin Wants to Use the Military Against the Coronavirus, He’ll Need to Trust His Governors or Step up Himself

Will governors be granted the power to tell local military commanders what to do?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Coronavirus Propaganda a Problem for the Kremlin, Not a Ploy

Having created a troll ecosystem it is hard for the Kremlin to direct its activities.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow's Mayor, Not Putin, Is Leading Russia's Coronavirus Fight. Will He Be Allowed to Do the Job?

The coronavirus is an interesting — if somewhat depressing — case study of late Putinist crisis management.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Farewell, Limonov, a Hand Grenade Amongst the Party Poppers

A Limonov may not have been interested in democracy, but democracy needs to be interested in Limonovs.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Medvedev’s Security Council Role Makes Him And it More Interesting

Putin appears to have given his ex-premier the chance to demonstrate his political virility.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Surkov’s End and the KPIocrats’ Triumph

What the exit of Kremlin's ‘grey cardinal’ tells us about late Putinism.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin Can Cautiously Enjoy the Iran Drama From the Audience

Tehran and Moscow have certain interests in common, especially in minimizing U.S. influence in the Middle East, but they are at best frenemies.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia in 2020. Like 2019, But More So

Putin and his entourage seem to think "better safe than sorry."
opinion Mark Galeotti

Shorn of Prejudices, the Lubyanka Shooting Is a Familiar Story

The shooter may have been a Russian, wielding a Russian gun, targeting a Russian institution, but the story is a universal one.
opinion Mark Galeotti

MH17 Recordings Are About Crowdsourcing Whistleblowers

The detailed questions the JIT throw out into the ether will almost certainly be read by people who know at least some of the answers.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Boris Johnson and Putin’s Unwitting Helpers

Sometimes it almost looks as if Putin’s information warriors and political operators need not do anything, the West gladly does their work for them.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin's Declassified KGB Record Shows He Was No High-Flier, but a Solid B

A recent report about Vladimir Putin as a KBG officer shows that he was seen as worthy, serious and reliable, but not as a high-flier or a leader.
opinion Mark Galeotti

5 Things Russian Gangsters Might Teach Us About the Islamic State’s Search for a New Leader

What happens after organized crime structures suffer decapitating strikes?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin’s ‘Useful Idiots’ Are Those Who Call Others ‘Useful Idiots’

Those accusing Tulsi Gabbard of being a Kremlin asset should take a long hard look in the mirror.
opinion Mark Galeotti

1990s Russia Is Alive and Well in the USA

The values of some public figures in the White House suggests they would have been quite at home in 1990s Russia.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Strategies for a Kinder, Gentler Political War

What if the Kremlin is tired of being everyone's geopolitical scapegoat?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Is This Russia's Next Leader?

For the first time in his seven years as Defense Minister, Shoigu gave a lengthy interview to a mainstream Russian newspaper. We should pay attention.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Future Without Putin No Longer Taboo Issue

The irony is that while Putin is active internationally and ubiquitous on the state media, the very scale and stridency of current elite debates reflect...
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Kremlin Puts Its Faith in Arbitrary Authoritarianism

The state's aim is to create a climate of fear and uncertainty.

Почему я пошел на RT

Если главный поток голосов решит уйти из RT, то сама сеть и ее аудитория не исчезнет...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why I Talked to RT

The people we need to engage with are those who don’t agree with us, who don’t share our sense of the world.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia and China's Cosplay Alliance

How long will this awkward friendship last?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia's Opposition Has a Long Way to Go

Despite Moscow's record protest, the Kremlin's position is still strong.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Old Ultra-Violence in Moscow Solves Nothing and Everything

Violence paired with a smart effort to co-opt the population is, sadly, an eminently successful technique.
opinion Mark Galeotti

When BoJo Meets Vova

A piece of advice for Britain's new prime minister on how to deal with Putin's Russia.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia's Roadmap Out of the MH17 Crisis

No way out from MH17 trap for Russia, except through Donbass.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Geopolitics of Theresa May’s Dutiful Handshake

May was right to take the G20 meeting with Putin at Osaka, even if she hated doing so.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Golunov Freed; Putin, Not so Much

The spectacular case showed that Putin is at once invulnerable and impotent.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Corruption and Populism Are the West's Weaknesses, Not Moscow’s Invention

It is important to remember that no one tied Austria's far-right politician Strache to a chair and forced him to listen to the Russian's pitch.
opinion Mark Galeotti

What the Mueller Report Tells Us About How Russia Works

Please, put away those onion-dome-on-the-White-House graphics and abandon those excitable claims of Trump as a Russian agent.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia and NATO Both Think Time Is on Their Side

Both sides show little readiness for compromise or pragmatism.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Strategy Doesn’t Need Winners, Just Players

Sometimes playing is more important than winning.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Mueller Provides Scant Real Relief for Russia

The Mueller report is unlikely to make any real impact on U.S.-Russian relations.
opinion Mark Galeotti

A Year After the Skripal Poisoning, How Much Has Really Changed?

Mark Galeotti on the legacy of the Skripal poisoning.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Surkov Hints Putin Himself No Longer Essential for the System to Persevere

In his latest piece Surkov may be burying Putin with reassurance and respect.

The Kremlin's New Ogre

In a time when much of politics is about signal and drama, the Kremlin needs figures to represent the worst and the most unpredictable side of the system...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Is Late Putinism Dead or only Resting?

The fourth term of Putin's presidency is characterised by disconnectedness, falling popularity rates and lack of ideology.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Paul Whelan’s Arrest in Russia Brings Civilians Back Into the Crosshairs

Whether or not the former U.S. marine was a spy, a new and chilling tactic could pose a threat to bystanders.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Heroes of the Fatherland: Killing Here, Hacking There

Diminished and demeaned, Putin has no incentive to reel in his spooks.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Interpol Wasn’t at Risk of Becoming Putin’s Plaything

But the West should still be relieved.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin’s Needy Little Helpers Are Ruining Russia (Op-ed)

New reports of contract killings point to an emerging class of Kremlin businessmen sending Russia back in time.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Will Russian Spycraft Adapt to the Information Age? (Op-ed)

Rather than rethinking their tactics, Russia may be the biggest beneficiary of this brave new world.
opinion Mark Galeotti

There's More to Russian Espionage Than the GRU (Op-ed)

The West’s obsession with one Russian spy agency is becoming a dangerous addiction.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Zakharchenko's Assassination Won't Bring Peace to Ukraine (Op-ed)

Without consulting the people, neither Kiev nor Moscow will be able to consolidate peace.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Is Russia Still a Haven for Old Pariahs? (Op-ed)

Populists, nationalists and separatists used to receive a warm welcome in Moscow.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Dangerous Legacy of Keeping Russia's World Cup Safe (Op-ed)

Russia has ramped up security measures for the World Cup, but the costs involved may be unsustainable.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Fear Not the Honeypot (Op-ed)

Why Russia is safe for World Cup fans — and why the West thinks it isn't.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Babchenko’s Death and Russia’s Dark Power (Op-ed)

Russia has adopted a policy of blessing freelance murders carried out in its name.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Tragedy of the Age-Old Kremlin-Vor Alliance (Op-ed)

From Stalin to Putin, the Kremlin's mutually beneficial ties to Russian gangsters go way back.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Former Russian Spy Scandal Suggests the Old Espionage Rules Are Breaking Down (Op-ed)

Skripal’s hospitalization suggests the old rules are breaking down and that more vicious shadow war is yet to come
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Argentine Cocaine Scandal Is Just the Tip of a Russian Iceberg (Op-ed)

The embassy cars and diplomatic flights signal a return to wilder times.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Is Putin's Trolling 'Making Russia Great Again?' (Op-ed)

Russia's role in Syrian was never about the well-bing of civilians or saving Bashar Assad
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why Russia's Leaders Still Honor the Soviet Secret Police (Op-ed)

As a Russian criminal proverb has it, “confession is fit only for the priest and the fool”
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Weaponization of Tedium Is Putin’s New Strategy (Op-ed)

His campaign platform will mix populism, paranoia and outright boredom
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Ulyukayev Verdict Heralds the End of Putinism (Op-ed)

The arrest of Alexei Ulyukayev, the first of a serving minister since Stalin, sent tremors through Russia’s elite.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Importance of Russia’s Unimportant Prime Minister (Op-ed)

Elections in 2018 are unlikely to result in a new Russian president, but they could see a new prime minister appointed
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why Ksenia Sobchak Is Running for President (Op-ed)

Mark Galeotti explains how Sobchak's campaign can reshape the Russian presidential election landscape.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Fake Terrorism Is a Real Threat to the Kremlin (Op-ed)

Putin is seen as Russia’s defender. But can he protect his reputation against a string of bomb hoaxes?
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why Moscow's Municipal Elections Matter (Video)

Mark Galeotti explains why even a small Russian election may have important consequences
opinion Mark Galeotti

Stop Hyping Trump's Links to the Russian Mob (Op-ed)

Anyone investing in Russia is probably dealing with grubby money.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Reasons to Be Cheerful, 1, 2, 3: What Lies Ahead for Russian Politics

The Moscow Times' long-time columnist takes a look into the crystal ball of Russia’s political future.
opinion Mark Galeotti

It’s the Russians Wot Done It (Op-ed)

BuzzFeed's investigation plays into a dominant narrative within the West where "Russia is to blame."
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why Russia and the West Should Fight Terrorism Together (Op-ed)

By coordinating with Russia over terrorism, the West can be looking ahead to a Russia after Putin.

Terror in Russia and the West: A Need for Compassion

Feed the Kremlin love, feed the Kremlin so much love it chokes. Do it either because it is right or do it because it is smart, but do it either way.

Voronenkov's Murder: Russia Will Regret Turning to the ‘Dark Side’

The shocking assassination of Russian politician-turned-pariah Denis Voronenkov last week has sharpened fears among the Russian diaspora of Moscow’s...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Treason Through the FSB Looking Glass

Why espionage arrests at the heart of Russia’s security services might be more than they seem.

The World After Trump: Russia-Friendly, But for How Long?

No wonder many in the West see Putin as winning. The European Union in crisis, with Britain’s Brexit potentially being followed by other “exits.”...

Russia's Slow Indecisive Purges Mask a Policy Void

There have been arrests and releases, petty prosecutions and sensible legal revisions. The overall trend in Russia may be toward a tougher line on potential...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Pairs Brussels Condolences With Politicking (Op-Ed)

These days, the Russian government seems to observe jihadist terrorist attacks in the West with a thinly-veiled satisfaction.
opinion Mark Galeotti

No Easy Fix for Syria (Op-Ed)

It is not peace in our time, it may well never even happen, and even if it does, probably won't last. It is not the result of humanitarian impulses...
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Litvinenko Affair: An Anglo-Russian Exercise in Futility

A British inquest on the murder of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko has concluded that it was "probably" sanctioned by President Vladimir Putin...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow Must Avoid Shadow War With Ankara

Moscow is sanctioning Turkish goods and holidays, but is this enough to assuage President Vladimir Putin's evident fury at the shooting down of one...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow Faces Terror Threat It Can Handle (Op-Ed)

As Muscovites lay flowers before the French Embassy, the depressing irony is that Moscow is not immune to the kind of terrorist attacks which ripped...
opinion Mark Galeotti

What Could Possibly Go Wrong in Russia's Syrian Gambit?

Modern wars tend to start well, with deceptive techno-thriller ease. They quickly tend to degenerate in messy, unpredictable ways that favor the desperate...
opinion Mark Galeotti

West Has Lost the Right to Lecture Putin (Op-Ed)

Castigating the Kremlin on moral grounds, without behaving in an unimpeachably moral way, is simply going to alienate Moscow and create a wholly...
opinion Mark Galeotti

West Must Play It Cool With Putin (Op-Ed)

The more the West lets itself be shocked into responses by Putin, the more power it gives him and the more reason he has to continue to goad and needle...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin and Trump Have a Lot in Common (Op-Ed)

Trump and Putin both offer simple solutions to complex, intractable problems. They offer a refreshing, outspoken, macho alternative to tainted political...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin's 'Shadow Power' Tarnishes Its Image (Op-Ed)

The more the Kremlin relies on 'shadow power', the more toxic it makes its own brand worldwide, writes columnist Mark Galeotti.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Museums Show Russia's Big Security Problem (Op-Ed)

The recent announcement that police would no longer provide security in Russia's state museums caused alarm, but also reveals a lot about Russia's broader...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russian Bear Should Be More Cuddly, Less Snarly (Op-Ed)

If Russia wants to win more friends, it should stop snarling and try to be more cuddly, suggests columnist Mark Galeotti.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Prioritizing Russia's Navy Is Pointless (Op-Ed)

Russia celebrated Navy Day on Sunday and Mark Galeotti analyzes the condition of the modern Russian navy and whether there is really anything to celebrate...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Can Russia Scrap the Draft?

Vladimir Putin has just signed a decree on creating a new military reserve, following an initiative mooted for years. In the process, he is all but...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Is Not the Threat the West Thinks It Is (Op-Ed)

Russia is indeed a challenge to the West, just a rather different one than many experts suggest.
opinion Mark Galeotti

The West Is Too Paranoid About Russia's 'Infowar' (Op-Ed)

People in the West are willing to doubt the mainstream not because RT exhorts them to "question more," but because they already believe their media...
opinion Mark Galeotti

NATO and Russia Are Playing a Risky Game (Op-Ed)

The leaderships of both NATO and Russia enjoy the macho posturing involved in the current "phony war," but this is far more counter-productive than...
opinion Mark Galeotti

The West Needs More Russophiles (Op-Ed)

The West needs more unsentimental Russophiles, and this would be good for Russia too, writes columnist Mark Galeotti.
opinion Mark Galeotti

An Unusual Friendship: Bikers and the Kremlin (Op-Ed)

The Kremlin uses counterculture groups like the Night Wolves motorcycle club as weapons against other, less amenable counterculture groups, writes columnist...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow Is Playing Second Fiddle to Beijing

Cooperation between Russia and China is growing but Putin must remember that Russia needs China far more than China needs Russia, writes columnist Mark...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Snubbing Russia's Victory Day Achieves Nothing

The boycott of Russia's 70th Victory Day by many Western leaders is a pointless snub that will only anger ordinary Russians, writes columnist Mark...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Is Flexible When It Comes to Justice

Russia's Investigative Committee is investigating an increasing number of cases outside Russia's borders, but the Kremlin might regret this in the...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Could Kadyrov Replace Putin?

Despite speculation about Kadyrov as Putin's possible successor, he has few friends in Moscow and little understanding of how the Russian political...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Was Nemtsov Murder 'a Job for a Chechen'?

The arrest of several Chechens for the murder of Boris Nemtsov is predictable, but raises troubling questions for Russians and the Russian leadership...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Bring Back the Old Putin!

Western leaders may long for a new leader in the Kremlin, but their perfect candidate would be Putin as he was in 2000, writes columnist Mark Galeotti...
opinion Mark Galeotti

West Should Think Hard Before Arming Ukraine

As pressure to arm Ukraine grows in the U.S., it seems like nobody is thinking about what the consequences of such a decision might be, writes columnist...
opinion Mark Galeotti

The Rise of the Russian Mafia Myth

The growing interest in the 'Russian mafia' in the West reveals Western prejudice and a tendency to think the worst about Russia, writes columnist...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Caucasus Terror Hype Benefits Kadyrov, FSB

Despite the threats made to disrupt the Sochi Games, there were not any serious attempts.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Islamic State Poses No Threat to Russia, Yet

Recent defections from the Caucasus Emirate to the Islamic State shows that Russia's domestic terror threat may be subsiding, at least for now, writes...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin Meets the Ghosts of Christmas Past

Ghosts from Russia's past may be haunting Putin this Christmas, but they won't offer him much comfort for the year ahead, writes columnist Mark Galeotti...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Is Using Extortion in the Arctic

Russia's increasingly aggressive behavior in the Arctic is just another example of its campaign to put pressure on the West wherever it can, writes...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putin's G20 Snub

Putin's early departure from the weekend's G20 summit reveals his growing contempt for international institutions, especially when they threaten Russia's...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Insecurity Threatens to Derail Russia's Police Reform

The Kremlin will send police reform back to square one if Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev is dismissed, as is rumored, writes columnist Mark Galeotti...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Why Russia Must Share Islamic State Intel With U.S.

Russia sharing intelligence on the Islamic State with the U.S. is a rare geopolitical win-win situation, writes columnist Mark Galeotti.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia's Secret Weapon

Russia may hope that it will be able to 'outwait' the West in Ukraine while it is distracted by other conflicts, but there has been a seismic shift...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Is the Sistema Case Khodorkovsky 2.0?

The arrest of Sistema head Vladimir Yevtushenkov is a sign that the Kremlin favors loyalty over economic growth, writes columnist Mark Galeotti.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Estonian Kidnap Is Russia's Latest Provocation

This [kidnap] is one more move in Russia's aggressive campaign against the West.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Donetsk Is Neither Grozny Nor Stalingrad

Comparing the battle for Donetsk to the fierce fighting for Stalingrad in World War II, and Grozny in 1994, is to confuse rhetoric with reality...
opinion Mark Galeotti

In Russia, Conspiracy Theories Often Ring True

A Kremlin whose instincts are secrecy and misdirection, and which often relies on leaks and innuendo to indicate policy and direct its officials, is the best...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Spying on Russia Is in Everyone's Interests

If the West invested more resources in spying on Russia, it might be able to even the playing field and even forestall Kremlin adventurism, writes...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Won't Fix Dagestan By Jailing Said Amirov

Although the insurgency in the North Caucasus speaks the language of jihad, it is primarily a product of endemic failures of governance, writes...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia Is Punching Above Its Weight

Russia appears to be exerting a geopolitical influence out of proportion to its objective economic, military and political strength, writes columnist...
opinion Mark Galeotti

A 'Spook War' May Be Brewing

The mysterious suicide of Major General Boris Kolesnikov may be evidence of a power struggle between the Russia's security services, writes columnist...
opinion Mark Galeotti

Putting the 'Crime' Back in Crimea

Criminal gangs see Crimea as their next hot market, but the battle for control over Russia's newest territory may spark deadly conflict in Moscow, writes...
opinion Mark Galeotti

This Is Not Stalingrad's Generation

Since Russians have become accustomed to consumerism and comfort, they will be less willing to endure a drop in living standards resulting from economic...
opinion Mark Galeotti

How MI5 and CIA Can Fight the Russian Threat

For 20 years, the West considered Russia a partner at best and an irrelevance at worst.
opinion Mark Galeotti

Moscow's War in Ukraine Relies on Local Assets

There are many "war tourists" fighting in Ukraine, looking for excitement and money.