Politics

The blog of Anastasia Baburova, budding journalist - murdered in Moscow  

Europe's last dictator recently visited an EU country for the first time in a decade. Europe requires more democracy and economic liberalisation, but only Russia can offer his regime any hope of survival

Three former Western ambassadors to countries in the post-Soviet space applaud President Medvedev’s call for sweeping reform and suggest key paths to modernisation

A Kremlin media surprise suggests an intriguing parallel - with a twist

The middle classes the world over have spent 20 years swapping their freedoms for security and prosperity. While Putin delivered this neo-Hobbesian bargain in Russia, its ur-model is Singapore

Andrew Wilson reports zero tolerance for more shock therapy

Putin has created a corrupt system which once seemed to work, but since the economic crisis he has lost control of it

The dynamics of misrule in Russia's Caucasus are consuming Chechnya's neighbour

A key motive of Russian policymakers in last year's Georgia war was to kill liberal expectations of the new President Medvedev

A baby boom suggests one of Russia's largest cities will not be cowed by economic crisis or fear of the future

Sergei Khazov reports from the Russian city of Samara at a time of economic collapse

Two young reformist politicians on either side of the separatist conflict in Moldova have made bold moves to assert their independence from ossified leadership, Will the new generation manage to free their country from the spell of the past, wonders Louis O'Neill

Summer pleasures on the Volga put the machinations of Russia's elites into perspective

Beyond the caricature of the land where bears roam the streets and people travel by reindeer, LNG exports to Japan and economic crisis connect the charmed island to the world

The Kremlin's choice to hold the latest EU-Russia summit in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, right by China, may have been political - China wants Russia's gas too. But for the residents of Khabarovsk, the summit just meant traffic jams, and China's proximity just means industrial pollution

As human rights violations escalate in the North Caucasus, Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch visits Dagestan, supposedly riven by the struggle between ‘Wahhabis' and the authorities. She visits the so-called ‘Wahhabi' village of Gudben. 

Surreal twists and turns as Russia's most famous oligarch reappears in court

Civil society is playing an impressive role in Georgia's present crisis, argues Tbilisi's last ambassador to Russia. Saakashvili's government has reached an impasse. There is a way forward, but Georgia will need the help of its friends abroad

Reviewing the roots of the roots of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, Alexander Goryanin concludes that Armenia's victory has cost it too much. A more lasting solution will take time

Pavel Bardin's film Russia 88, about Russian Nazis, has incurred official displeasure even before its release. Bardin says he wants to help government fight Russian fascism. Critics say the film's good. So what's the problem?The blogosphere is buzzing with answers

(Photo: Rossiya 88 film)