Russia resembles a cemetery through which an armed man is walking, Martynov says
The political editor of Russian newspaper Novaya gazeta says that young Russians have now been confronted with a…
Browsing Tag
Opposition crackdown
38 posts
“Agents,” “undesirable,” “extremists” — how modern Russia combats dissent
If you open today any publication of Meduza, a well-known independent online media outlet, you can see the…
After gutting independent media, Lukashenka regime comes after human rights activists
In the past week, Belarusian journalists and activists opposing regime have been living in a nightmare. The country…
Belarus crisis may not work out as Putin hopes, Shelin says
Those things are possible but not necessarily going to happen, the Rosbalt commentator says, because there is the…
Russian military finds a way to have a domestic control role, Golts says
The Russian high command has long wanted to have a domestic crowd control role, rather than as has…
Five disturbing Russian developments in danger of being overshadowed by 1917 anniversary
All governments schedule their announcements to achieve maximum benefit for themselves, trumpeting things they are proud of at…
Putin will restore Iron Curtain after elections, Agora’s Chikov says
Pavel Chikov, head of the Kazan-based Agora Human Rights Organization, says that after Vladimir Putin is re-elected, the…
Kremlin ‘road-tested’ repressive measures on LGBTs before applying them more broadly, Khots says
Like many dictators before him and just as Pastor Niemoeller warned, Vladimir Putin tested various repressive measures on…
Putin is behind the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, his colleague says
The trial in the murder of Boris Nemtsov, one of Russia's leading opposition figures, is coming to a…
Russian police arrest striking long-haul truckers and then plant ‘incriminating’ evidence
In a move that suggests the Russian authorities have decided to crack down hard on the striking long-haul…
After Tillerson visit, Putin orders sweeping arrests of opposition figures
Last night and this morning after the end of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit, Vladimir Putin…
Two Dictators and Two Responses
For more than two decades, many governments and commentators in the West have allowed themselves to feel morally…
Lukashenka’s crackdown will not intimidate Belarusians now, Kalyakin says
Alyaksandr Lukashenka may crack down on protesters later this month in a bloody fashion just as he did…
Russian agents in Minsk pushing Lukashenka to crack down hard, Belarusian analysts say
Russian agents in the Belarusian security services along with Russian agents in the blogosphere are calling on Alyaksandr…
“Putin is War; Putin is Death” and other neglected Russian stories
The flood of news stories from a country as large, diverse and strange as the Russian Federation often…
Moscow archpriest calls for new death squads to destroy ‘traitor-emigres’
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, former head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for relations between church and society, has called…
Putin has as much to fear in Belarusian protests as Lukashenka does, Portnikov says
Because the money is running out and because Russia can no longer make up the difference, Alyaksandr Lukashenka…
Minsk said preparing to disperse protesters by force
Nikolay Kozlov, a retired Belarusian interior ministry lieutenant colonel and deputy head of the independent United Civic Party,…
Putin regime raised political police above all other force structures, ‘Novaya Gazeta’ says
The Kremlin has “often put the E Center” – the informal name of the MVD’s Anti-Extremism Center –…
In Russia, 7-year old SMS gets you 7 years of prison
In early December, Oksana Sevastidi's undeservingly forgotten story came to the Russian media's attention. In March 2016, the simple…