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Due West: Putin Signals Foreign Policy Shift

Weekly column by Konstantin von Eggert

Ever since his inauguration on May 7, President Vladimir Putin has been engaged in frenzied activities designed to convince the world that he is in full control of Russian politics, economics and foreign policy.

Women Talk: Eat, Pray, Love - and Eat Again!

Biweekly column by Svetlana Kolchik

On one of my recent trips to Italy, I was to take a bus from the quaint Tuscan town of Siena to Rome, and then catch a plane back to Moscow.

Deeper Than Oil: Under The Gaze of a Kazakh Poet

Weekly column by Marc Bennetts

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently at Moscow’s week-old opposition camp, the gathering of anti-Putin activists that sprang up overnight in the center of the capital, under the gaze of a 19th century Kazakh poet philosopher named Abai Kunanbayev (born Qunanbaiuli).

Trendwatching: The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Russian Pilot

Weekly column by Natalia Antonova

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking the same things I am thinking. You’re asking yourself: after the Sukhoi Superjet-100 crash - what exactly is it going to take to reform the Russian aviation sector?

Transmissions from a Lone Star: March of the Pygmies

Weekly column by Daniel Kalder

Right now it seems as if the leadership of the entire planet is coming up for election. At least that’s the impression I get from the news: there are changes of leadership everywhere, or at least in those places where the population is allowed to have a say in such matters.

Features, Opinion & Analysis »

Moscow’s Mentally Handicapped Kids Face Prejudice, Ignorance

Alexei Korolyov, RIA Novosti

At Moscow’s St. George’s school for mentally handicapped children, students are rehearsing a play for their end-of-term celebrations.

Putin-Obama Mutual Snubs Spell ‘Reset’ Crisis – Analysts

RIA Novosti, Alexey Eremenko

The current diplomatic contretemps between Russia and the United States is a crisis for the reset policy in bilateral relations, which are still based on Cold War-era distrust, Russian analysts said.

20 Years on, CSTO Focuses on Threats to Central Asia

RIA Novosti commentator Konstantin Bogdanov

With its membership now stable, the Collective Security Treaty Organization has shifted its focus to resolving conflicts and dealing with terrorist threats in the post-Soviet space, predominantly in Central Asia.