Only one leader of another former Soviet republic, Moldova’s Igor Dodon, joined Vladimir Putin for Moscow’s Victory Day parade, a development that “may not have been planned but that certainly should have been foreseen,” marking as...
The flood of news stories from a country as large, diverse and strange as the Russian Federation often appears to be is far too large for anyone to keep up with. But there needs to be a way to mark those which can’t be discussed in...
We don’t want to eliminate May 9; it will always be a day of remembrance and a moment to celebrate Victory Day over Nazism. The only thing that we’d like to do is move official celebrations and events to May 8. We have absolutely no...
“’The Victory Parade’ in Putin’s Russia is unique in its absurdity, one in which an imperial army presents itself as ‘defenders of the motherland,’ occupiers as liberators, and invaders as anti-fascists,” Aleksandr Khots...
The Soviet Union has left a terrible legacy, which to this day continues poisoning the minds of so many around the world. The Soviet Union has destroyed millions of lives. Lenin and Stalin, the “great” Soviet leaders have...
Not being able to go home to your own country, to see your parents, to bury your loved ones or just visit their graves – these are probably the smallest of sacrifices today’s dissidents must bear. Especially those who actively come out...
On the eve of the anniversary of the victory over Nazism in World War II, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the U.S.-Georgian joint military exercises a provocation. In another former Soviet republic — Moldova — other joint...
Many Russian commentators have pointed out that the way in which Vladimir Putin is exploiting Victory Day is about the legitimation of the Soviet past, but a Ukrainian analyst says that the most important function of this day is to exploit...
Moscow has been abuzz in “Victory Day” fever for weeks. Toddlers, puppies and tanks are draped in the ubiquitous orange and black striped St. George Ribbon, a symbol previously associated with patriotic veterans and war heroes...
Over the past two years, many have written that the propaganda cult in Russia surrounding Victory Day is a profound desecration of the memory of those killed and maimed in the horrific Second World War. It’s hard to imagine a...
Free independent media is a necessary condition for democracy to function in any country. Censorship, on the other hand, is rampant in all its forms in dictatorships. These definitions may be relevant in a black and white world; in...
