Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Opinion

Sergei Vakulenko

Have Ukrainian Drones Really Knocked Out 38% of Russia’s Oil Refining Capacity?

Kyiv’s strike campaign against oil refineries has inflicted serious — but likely not critical — damage to the country’s fuel production.
Alexander Nikitin

How Russia Is Turning a Captured Nuclear Power Plant into a Propaganda Piece

A blackout at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant coincided with World Atomic Week and an IAEA visit, suggesting Moscow is trying to project control.
4 Min read
Mikhail Komin

Is Russia’s Justice System Reshuffle an Attempt to Rein in the Security Forces?

It seems that Putin chose to curb Krasnov’s enthusiasm and protect the system from his FSB comrades and a young wolf with ideas above his station.
6 Min read
Sergei Chapnin

How Putin's Spiritual Adviser Uses Charlie Kirk to Court U.S. Conservatives

When Metropolitan Tikhon hails Charlie Kirk as a Christian model, it’s less theology than geopolitics.
5 Min read
Saahil Menon

China's Visa-Free Policy for Russians Isn't the Win Moscow Says It Is

Russia trumpets any chance to cozy up to China. But for Beijing, Russia is not top of the priority list.
4 Min read
Jason Corcoran

Putin Can't Hide Russia's Gasoline Crisis

Fuel rationing hits ordinary Russians directly. Though state media blames bad weather, history shows that excuses can only go so far.
5 Min read
Vladislav Inozemtsev

Russia's Billionaires Are Losing the Global Wealth Race

Russia’s billionaires once rivaled Microsoft & Bill Gates. Today, just six remain in the global Top 100, trapped at home and stripped of global influence...
4 Min read
Sergey Radchenko

The Real Losers of Russia’s War: Ukraine, Europe and Russia Itself

It is increasingly obvious that Europe, Ukraine, and Russia will be the main losers of this war. Trump's America is willing to let that happen.
3 Min read
Yan Levchenko

Russia's Eurovision Rip-Off Exposes Kremlin's Delusions of Cultural Grandeur

Russia was overshadowed at its own party — and ended up with a winner that many pro-war patriots think should be behind bars.
6 Min read
Alexandra Prokopenko

Can Russia’s Militarized Economy Ever Return to a Civilian Model?

A painless return to the civilian model is impossible: no amount of fortune can override the laws of economics.
9 Min read
Alexander Morozov

The Quiet Exit of Putin’s Iron Chancellor

Despite rumors that he opposed the war in Ukraine, that Dmitry Kozak did not build his own power circles might grant him a quiet post-politics life.
4 Min read
Nikita Smagin

The Rapprochement Between Russia and Syria Is a Temporary Necessity

The Al-Sharaa government ultimately wants to establish control over the entire territory of Syria. Over time, Russia’s presence will become an obstacle...
5 Min read
Andrei Soldatov

For Russians Like Me, Silencing Jimmy Kimmel Looks Dangerously Familiar

The scandal resembles when the Kremlin attacked a TV channel that satirized Putin — and even the liberal media acted like it was acceptable.
4 Min read
Katarzyna Chawrylo

Russia Is Testing NATO With Drones and Disinformation. Here’s How the West Should Respond.

Combining military provocation with propaganda is a typical Kremlin tactic. The West must harden its defenses or face further attacks.
5 Min read
Dima Zitser

How Russian Parents Can Protect Their Children From Indoctrination in Schools

Parents cannot just assume that their children will not be affected by attempts to brainwash them. They must take decisive action.
5 Min read
Jason Corcoran

Trump’s Sanctions Playbook: Impossible Demands, Guaranteed Delays

Trump pressuring the EU to put secondary sanctions on China in return for more U.S. sanctions collapses under the weight of its ridiculousness.
5 Min read
Andrey Pertsev

Why Is the Kremlin Insisting on Ukraine Holding Elections?

The Russian leadership’s autocratic worldview makes it believe that competitive elections could destabilize Ukraine and even end its military resistance...
5 Min read
Sergei Chapnin

Orthodox Faith with Soviet Aesthetics: What a Rare Moscow Parade Says About Power in Russia

Mechanically choreographed and creatively bankrupt, the procession was more about loyalty to the power vertical than religious belief.
2 Min read
Tom King

Western Sanctions Have Unintended Climate Consequences in Russia

The international community must balance the realities of a hot war in Europe and the necessity of monitoring a quickly heating Arctic.
5 Min read
View more articles