Politics
A close look at the inner workings of authoritarian power in Russia and beyond, and the forces that could one day transform it: how the Kremlin holds and wields power, why the democratic opposition endures, and what a genuine political renewal would take
Bortnikov—the Bostonian in DC
In my article published the day before New Year’s Eve I posited that Russian diplomacy would devote all its efforts to convince their “US partners” to keep Putin…
Putin’s 4 percent: How criminal kingpins with Kremlin connections launder oil money in Monaco
As The Insider found out, money made by Russian businessmen with gang affiliations and Kremlin connections in Russian ports are still being laundered in Monaco and Liechtenstein—after…
Putin’s Russia 4.0: What can we expect from it?
On the 7th of December, Vladimir Putin announced that he would run for a new presidential term in March 2018. So far, he has not presented a programme…
Summarizing 2017 North Korean “nuclear-missile achievements”
General consideration The entire North Korean “rocket-nuclear scientific &production system” consists of the following elements (according to the data which I managed to assemble from many sources):—…
Nuclear Coercion to “Yalta”
The deeper Russia plunges into its current morass of economic, social, and political problems, the more sophisticated is its art of manipulating Western minds with esoteric ploys. It…
A different kind of strategy
By giving your vote to Sobchak, you are voting for Putin, by casting your vote for Grudinin, you are voting for Putin, by giving your vote to Yavlinsky,…
Real foundation of the “North Korean miracle”
General picture of the “North Korean crisis In 2016 and, especially since the beginning of 2017, our world has become much more unstable. One of the most destabilizing…
Who is the right-wing populist in Russia: Putin vs. Navalny
When one examines the rise of right-wing populism in Russia and Europe, it is curious that Russia reproduces the rhetoric seen elsewhere in Europe in a somewhat distorted…
The Return of the Prodigal Trillion
Gorgeous fall colors in Washington, DC. The perfect season for tourists. Including businesspeople. This fall, a new and growing class of tourists is roaming the DC streets: Russian…
The horizon ends with Putin’s forth term
With Ksenia Sobchak entering the race, and Alexey Navalny continuing his campaign trail though Russian regions, the presidential elections have finally become topic number one within Russian media…