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analysis
The Second Front
Historian Françoise Thom says, Russia barely gave in on its original plan to settle a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
NATO, the Only Real Guarantee of Security for a Free and Independent Ukraine
The lifting of the ban on the delivery of F-16 aircraft marks a new step in the strengthening of the Ukrainian army. It is brought up to standard with those of the main NATO member countries. Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier’s analysis.
The Harmful Role of the Kremlin and Wagner in Sudan
From the beginning of the conflict between the two military leaders who exercise power in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagolo, pro-Russian voices have supported the latter: Hemedti would not be involved with the Sudanese Islamists.
A Geopolitical Mirage: the “De-westernization” of the World
Analyst and political philosopher Philippe de Lara examines the complexity of the notion of the “global South”.
The Strategic and Geopolitical Limits of the Partnership Between Delhi and Moscow
India has gone from neutrality to “multi-alignment”. It does not condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine and rejects international sanctions.
Sanctions: Useless, Really?
Criticism mounts today in the West with the strong encouragement of Kremlin propaganda against the sanctions put in place following Russian aggression against Ukraine.
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
Russia: the Impossible “Union Sacrée”
The historian Françoise Thom reminds us that the theme of the Union sacrée has already been exploited in Russian history.
In Ukraine, the Pressing Commitment of International Law
International law sometimes seems to be a forgotten authority among commentators of the Russian war against Ukraine.
To Europe “po Blatu”
It seems that less-than-democratic regimes in the Balkans and the Caucasus are entertaining the feeling that Victor Orban’s Hungary represents…
And now? On the Possibility of an All-out War
The war in Ukraine is in full swing. The order for the “partial mobilization” of Russian army reservists and part of the male population…
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
The Serbia-Russia Alliance, Belgrade’s Multi-faceted Diplomacy and the Improbable European Perspective
The European Union’s acceptance of Kiev’s candidacy, an adequate but insufficient decision…
After Emmanuel Macron’s Trip to Kyiv, the end of France’s Russian Illusions?
Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Kyiv on June 16, 2022, where he was accompanied by the Romanian President, the German Chancellor and the Italian Prime Minister…
Why the Putin System Carries war Like a Cloud Carries a Storm
The trajectory of the current Russian regime was predictable from the first weeks of Putin’s reign.
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
The UN, Russian Aggression and the Impasses of Collective Security: Elements of Analysis and Response
The UN is experiencing a serious crisis following the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Sergei Lavrov and the Return of Soviet and Russian Anti-Semitism
After Sergei Lavrov’s outrageous statements about Hitler’s “Jewish blood”, which caused an outcry in Israel…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
National Guilt and Personal Responsibility
Today, a simple “man in the street” in Russia has only a very blurred notion of his fault in what is happening in Ukraine…
Joe Biden and the “Butcher”: Truth and Exit
President Joe Biden’s phrase calling Vladimir Putin a “butcher” and his exhortation, if not his prayer…
Alternative History Against History: the Case of Vladimir Putin
Many Western observers were surprised by Putin’s attack on Ukraine. Among many of our experts…
How to Train Europe: the Kremlin’s Exploitation of the Ukrainian Crisis
Westerners are wondering about Putin’s intentions regarding Ukraine. They take into account the slightest declarations…
Facing Russia: the Polish Geostrategic Actor and the Euro-atlantic Balance
The international crisis provoked by the Kremlin’s pressure on Ukraine, considered as a pseudo-state doomed to destruction, has the virtue…
The Balkans Could be the Scene of a Future Diplomatic Confrontation With Russia
The Russian military threat to Ukraine and, by extension, to Mitteleuropa (Central and Eastern Europe…
Putin: Flirting With Armageddon
After the Westerners’ refusal to accept the Russian ultimatum of December 17, the West is slowly becoming aware…
Russian “new Weapons”: from Deterrence to Coercion?
Against the backdrop of a serious crisis in the eastern confines of Ukraine, where the sound of boots on the ground…
What Does the Russian Ultimatum to the West Mean?
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry unveiled two draft texts — a “Treaty between the United States…
The West under the Gun: how to Deal with a Blackmailer
The video-meeting between Biden and Putin on December 7 has given rise to much speculation in the small world of experts.
Malignant Influence and Counter-influence: Responding to an Asymmetric Threat
The influence strategy of the Kremlin, as indeed of any dictatorial and criminal state, must be studied rigorously…
Ukraine, the Frontline of Russia’s Hybrid Wars
The current situation on the borders of Poland and Latvia, neighbours of Lukashenko’s Belarus, underscores the topicality…
The Ukrainian Geopolitical Pivot and the new Cold War
It took years for the expression “new Cold War” to become obvious. Still, one would like to reserve its use…
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
Can the European Union Build its Future Without Russia?
There is little room for maneuver in relations between the European Union and Russia, especially since the latter…
“Wagner” in Mali: the Tree Must not Hide the Forest
During the night of September 30 to October 1st, a Russian jumbo jet landed at the airport of Bamako (Mali). On its sides were four MI-171 helicopters.
How the Putin Regime Bets its Legitimacy at the Electoral Casino
In Russia, the election is a dirty game. The whole process is controlled by the bureaucracy, the information system, and intelligence services.
Russia, Afghanistan and Central Asia: a Geopolitical Overview
The evaporation of the Afghan National Army and the collapse of a state carried at arm’s length by the United States and its allies will have surprised Russians…
The Taliban Against Russia? Neither Alliance, nor Fight
The victory of the Taliban was carefully prepared by Moscow: for a long time already, the Kremlin had been maintaining communication channels with this group…
Russian Military Power: a Seasoned Army Serving a Revisionist Geopolitical Project
In the West, the primacy of domestic objectives, the “long war” against Islamic terrorism and the perception of international rivalries through the prism of geo-economics…
Russia’s Ukraine According to Putin: how This Propagandistic Narrative Risks Reaching the West
In a July 12, 2021 essay that caused a stir among security analysts, Vladimir Putin considered the Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be one.
Putin and his Courtiers: a Cavalier Relationship With History
In an interview with the Financial Times on June 20, Vladislav Surkov, the architect of Putin’s regime, compared the Russian president to Octavius…
A Perspective on the Russian-iranian Alliance
In September 2015, when Russia intervened militarily in Syria in order to save the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, guarantor of its strategic “assets” in situ…
Putin-biden: a Double-edged Summit
In Geneva on June 16, the American and Russian presidents, each in their own way, acknowledged that they had agreed on nothing, except that they should seek to get along better.
The United States / Russia / China Triangle and the Improbability of a Reversal of Alliances
The priority given by American diplomacy to the Chinese threat sometimes leads to fears of a shift in favor of Russia, the objective being to drive a wedge…
The Karabakh war: how Russia’s Image has Deteriorated in Both Armenia and Azerbaijan
There is no evidence that an economically weakened Russia has stopped viewing unresolved conflicts as a tool for keeping control on what it considers its sphere of influence.
opinions
Russia: the end of Consensus
According to historian Françoise Thom, the almost monolithic appearance of Putin’s system is no cause for complacency. The policy of breaking away from Europe lies at the heart of the rift between two groups of the elite.
The Bakhmut Apocalypse
From the capture of Bakhmout by the militiamen of Prigojine, Jean-François Bouthors examines the symbolic meaning of this Pyrrhic victory. For him, the Wagner militia embodies a nihilism comparable only to the ideology of Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
Dissent, Crime, and the Future of Russia
When Russia is free again, the Russian people will again have to face a reality: the massive crimes committed in their name…
Defeating the Russian Bearhemoth in the Historiverse
As an expert on the European far right, the author analyzes the importance of the German-Soviet pact of 1939…
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
Beyond the “negotiations”, a long war
Is the timid opening in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on March 29 in Istanbul a “positive signal”…
French Kremlinophilia: an Incurable Disease?
French Kremlinophilia on the right and on the left is based on a complex but extremely solid substratum, which we can see today.
Beware the Sirens of Minsk
The Kremlin has gotten the attention it sought: it now has most of the western world guessing whether it will unleash…
Russia can be Checked by a Regional Response in Europe
Russia is posing an essentially 19th century challenge to Europe — a threat to the sovereignty of nations…
Reshaping Ukraine’s Western Integration
There is widespread fear of an escalation of the current Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict into a large and prolonged inter-state war in Europe.
The Boomerang of Obscurantism: the Case of Covid
The Covid crisis has demonstrated the price that the Russian population has to pay for the policy…
The Return of Utopia to Power: the Turning Point of Putin’s Regime
At the Valdai meeting, Putin drew attention when he said: “The existing model of capitalism is outdated”
The Destruction of the Soul in Putin’s Russia
In no Russian regime has propaganda held such a large place as it does in the Putin regime. Propaganda was very visible…
Why do Some Russian Opponents of Putin’s Regime Criticize the Awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Dmitry Muratov?
Among Russian opposition, opinions are divided: some congratulate the winner, Dmitry Muratov, Editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, while others accuse…
The “Energy Partnership” With Russia: Lessons from the Past, Dangers for the Future
Today the trap patiently built by Moscow against Europe for 20 years is closing. Russia has never hidden its desire to abuse its dominant position…
Nordstream-2, an Economic Project, did you Say?
Until very recently, Chancellor Merkel kept repeating that Nordstream-2 was a purely commercial project, devoid of any political implications.
From the Afghan Withdrawal to the Foundation of the AUKUS: the Bright Future of European Defense?
If we are to believe the optimists, the withdrawal of the United States from the Afghan theater last August and the subsequent decision by Washington…
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
Deciphering the European Policy of the Kremlin
Putin’s article published in Die Zeit on June 22 marks the Kremlin’s return to a European policy pursued since the Gorbachev years…
“Soft” Propaganda: an Invisible and Invasive Threat
Many analysts of the current Russian regime are only focused on the hard propaganda of the Kremlin and its relays in the West…
Despite Strong Words, the European Parliament Fails to Tackle Agents of Malign Russian Influence
The European Parliament’s resolutions tend to be critical of Putin’s Russia. One of the most recent resolutions on Russia adopted at the end of April…
The Senator and the Fraud
On June 21, in the Senate, Senator Nathalie Goulet organized a “press briefing” with Vadim Rabinovich, a Ukrainian press magnate and leader of the pro-Russian party…
Putin’s Setbacks and the Fight for his Succession
If we look at the news of the last few months, we see that a series of seemingly disparate events all point to a decline in Russia’s influence.
Sputnik V: The Missed Promise of a Messianic Vaccine
The Russian leadership boasted that it was the first to invent an anti-Covid vaccine, in August 2020. The vaccine, called Sputnik V, is supposed to embody “victory”…
Russia: the Banality of Crime and its Strategic Consequences
Independently of any moral dimension, the practice of war crimes also says something about the strategy of the master of the Kremlin. If one can debate…
cartoon
When Russia “helps” Africa
The African summit in St. Petersburg was not a great success. But Vladimir Putin was able to harangue to his heart’s content.
Confusion in the Kremlin
Since the Prigozhin mutiny, confusion reigns at the top of the Russian state and among the population: the head of Wagner, sometimes accused, sometimes pardoned, negotiating with Putin, keeping his money and leaving for Belarus to reconstitute his private army
A Feigned Innocence
Our cartoonist tackles the destruction of the Kakhovka dam by the Russians, while the Putin regime continues to claim, falsely, its innocence. Like so many times already…
Wild Geese
Drones descend on the Kremlin, Russian rebels attack Belgorod, Russian positions are attacked in Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin and his entourage continue to show their faith in the final victory.
Yevgeny Prigojine’s Mania for Grandeur
This time, our cartoonist tackles the mania for grandeur of Putin’s “cook” who, according to rumours, was ready to divulge Russian military secrets to the Ukrainians in exchange for victory in Bakhmout.
When we Keep Neutral Despite Everything
Our cartoonist attacks the so-called neutral position of the “Global South” which stubbornly refuses to recognize the criminal nature of the war…
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
Putin: “We don’t Know What to do With our Money! »
After a year of war, international sanctions are seriously penalizing the Russian economy and war machine…
When the Draft is in Full Swing in Russia
Several Russian officials have denounced the overzealousness of Russian recruitment offices, which issue military convocations to blind people…
When the Ukrainians go for it…
Our cartoonist Epo accompanies the Ukrainian advance and makes fun of Russian lies.
Putin’s regime hits its top executives
Our cartoonist Epo alludes to the arrest, at the end of June, of the brilliant liberal economist Vladimir Maou…
Back to school
Back to school time! In today’s increasingly militarized Russia, many parents are dressing their toddlers…
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
How weariness wins our societies…
Have you noticed that the war in Ukraine is much less of a media concern than even a month ago?
“We are not Savages.” Really?
This time, our cartoonist attacks the Russian killers who mortally wounded, on May 30, the French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff…
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
“This is a Fake Button!”
Our cartoonist Epo offers us his new creation.
The strategy of barbarism
Desk Russie is continuing to publish the cartoons in which cartoonist Epo reacts to the realities…
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
politics
The Russian Lobby in the United States
In this in-depth investigation, historian Laurence Saint-Gilles sketches the contours of the Russian lobby in the United States and examines the conditions that have enabled it to penetrate deeply into American society and politics.
Ukraine: let’s be Careful not to Divide Europe — and the Alliance
While the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance had shown a remarkable unity in their firmness towards the Russian regime…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
Natan Sharansky: Putin’s Two Major Mistakes About Ukraine and the West
In a video conference organized on March 22 by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy…
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
With Putin’s Russia, the Impossible Status Quo
During his trip to Moscow and then to Kyiv, President Emmanuel Macron insisted that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were non-negotiable.
Kazakhstan: Voices of Russian Opponents
The Free Russia Forum was created in 2016 by a group of politicians, scholars, journalists, and cultural figures from the ex-USSR…
Turkey and Ukraine: Ins and Outs of Their Defense Partnership
Meeting in Riga (Latvia) on 1 December 2021, representatives of NATO member countries reaffirmed their support for Ukraine.
Will There be a new War?
In the international community there is a growing talk of a new attack from Russia and Belarus on Ukraine.
The Migration Crisis: the Other Side of the Hybrid war Against Europe
In May 2021, as Putin began to implement his strategy of strangling Europe with gas deprivation…
Does Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Vote in Europe?
The question of a possible preference of the Russian regime for a certain potential French far-right candidate has fueled recent debates…
Special Operation “Elections” in Russia. User Guide
Thirty years after the failed putsch against Mikhail Gorbachev, and the victory of universal suffrage and people’s sovereignty, Vladimir Putin has launched a new SpetsOperatsia…
A dr Strangelove in the Kremlin?
In his big election speech on March 1, 2018, to thunderous applause, Putin catalogs the new doomsday weapons Russia is working on.
Russia: Facing the Afghan Wasp Nest
“Among our enemies, the most to be feared are often the smallest,” said Lafontaine. Russia, which has strenuously worked for the advent of “multipolarity”…
interview
Vladimir Milov: “the West has Been Deliberately Delaying Arming Ukraine”
Vladimir Milov is a leading Russian opposition politician, energy expert and adviser to Aleksey Navalny. He was deputy minister of Energy of Russia…
Roman Kechur, President of the Ukrainian Confederation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies: “Putin is not a Political Manager but an Emperor”
We publish an interview with Roman Kechur, president of the Ukrainian confederation of psychoanalytic therapies…
Josef Zissels : “Putin is sending us a Trojan horse”
For several years, Ukrainian civil society has been protesting against the “Russian” project of a memorial at Babi Yar, a place of Holocaust remembrance…
The Mass Graves of Odessa: Stalin’s Crimes in Ukraine
While Ukraine mourns the victims of Stalinism, Russia is rehabilitating Stalin. On August 30, mass graves containing the remains of victims of the Great Stalinist Terror…
Sergei Medvedev: “Russia Might cut Itself Completely off from the West”
Sergei Medvedev is a Russian scholar, a specialist of the post-Soviet period. In his analysis of Russian society, he uses sociology, geography…
Svetlana Gannushkina: “We are Citizens, not Subjects of mr. Putin”
Svetlana Gannushkina is one of the most famous Russian human rights activists. For more than thirty years she has dedicated herself to the defense of refugees and migrants.
Putin’s Russia: a Protean Ideology
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Eurasianism among Russian political emigrants — a philosophical and political theory…
Mairbek Vatchagaev: “We Must Learn not Only to Defend our Rights, but to Live According to French Law”
The presence of Chechens in France intrigues and worries. In June 2020, Paris-Match headlined on its cover: “Alert to Chechens.
“Putin’s Regime Represents the West’s Greatest Existential Threat”
The Biden-Putin summit, the core nature of Russia’s current regime, corruption among western elites, the fate of Ukraine and Navalny…
« The USSR deliberately provoked the May 1967 crisis that led to the Six-Day war »
The Six Day War (5-11 June 1967) won by Israel against a coalition of Arab countries - and leading to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip…
tribune
The war Against Ukraine Exposes the Shortcomings of International Humanitarian law: Together we can Remedy Them
Mikhail Savva, an expert with the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), calls for the reform of international humanitarian law in view of the behavior of the Russian authorities. In his view, existing mechanisms are not sufficient to force Russia to comply with international conventions.
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
The Medium Term Consequences of Attempts to Re-engage With the Russian Regime
In my previous paper for Desk Russie, I pointed out the fatal consequences of the lack of understanding of the nature of Putin’s regime
Putin or the Passion for Evil
Putin’s aggression against Ukraine was perceived as a thunderclap by the West, because it is always difficult to believe the worst.
Calling a Spade a Spade: the Rogue Essence of the Kremlin Regime
How to fight Russian disinformation and lies of Putin’s regime on Ukraine? Instead of “dialoguing” with leaders who only swear by force…
Russia’s Attack on the European Security Order: Germany Must Act
Desk Russie publishes the Open Letter by 73 German Experts on Eastern Europe and International Security…
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
Covid19: How Russia Lost the Third World War
It is already possible to recognize that Russia has lost the Third World War, it is a medical diagnosis. The demographic losses…
essay
They Made Putinism: Mikhail Lesin (1958-2015) from Russia Today to Hollywood
Dubbed by some as “the number one enemy of Russian independent media”, Mikhail Lessin was instrumental in reshaping the media landscape after Vladimir Putin became president. And he’s buried in Hollywood. The fifth part of the serial of the historian Cécile Vaissié.
They Made Putinism: Alfred Koch, the man of Privatizations and NTV
The historian Cécile Vaissié offers Desk Russie the fourth part of her soap opera. If Alfred Koch is quite universally hated in Russia, it is above all because he is associated with the privatizations of the 1990s. Less so because he, “like the shark of capitalism”, contributed to the suffocation of the media under Putin.
They Made Putinism: Gleb Pavlovsky, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the Green Jacket (Second and Last Part)
Cécile Vaissié offers a new part of her soap opera. Gleb Pavlovski, whose itinerary is dissected in this essay, notably worked to elect the little-known chekist that was Putin and to create a “vertical of power”.
They Made Putinism: Gleb Pavlovsky (1951-2023), the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the Green Jacket
After her portrait of Vladislav Sourkov, the Kremlin’s éminence grise, historian Cécile Vaissié offers Desk Russia the second part of her series “They made Putinism”.
Vladislav Surkov, the “Aesthete” of the Shadows
A great expert on post-Soviet Russia, Professor Cécile Vaissié offers Desk Russie the beginning of her series…
How to Move from the Russian World to the Russian State: Building an Alternative to the Apocalypse
A paradoxical consensus has formed in recent weeks In Ukraine, Russia and the West: the war will be long and it will require considerable effort…
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
history
The Rhetoric of the Aggressor
The historian Françoise Thom examines the speeches of Hitler, Molotov and Putin in order to show how similar their themes and reasoning.
The Intuitions of Jules Michelet. A Selection by Françoise Thom
In Légendes démocratiques du Nord (1854), the historian Jules Michelet recounts the martyrdom of Poland…
The lessons of an end of reign: Stalin 1952-3, Putin 2022
If it is true that history does not repeat itself, we nevertheless sometimes hear surprising echoes between eras.
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
Thirty Years Since the August Coup
The August, 1991 Moscow coup was a desperate attempt to save the Soviet Union. When it collapsed, the will to preserve the socialist system disappeared and the Soviet Union…
Why Stalin Refused to Believe in a German Attack?
During the night of June 21-22, 1941, Germany attacked the USSR. In spite of the warnings coming from all sides, Stalin did not believe Hitler would strike.
documents
“Russia is Behaving According to the Colonial Schemes of the Past”
On June 13, the Mohyla Academy in Kyiv awarded an honoris causa doctorate to Herman Van Rompuy.
Immediate Opening of Negotiations on Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union: Appeal to eu Council President Emmanuel Macron
Desk Russia publishes this appeal of intellectuals, academics, politicians, journalists from all over Europe to Emmanuel Macron…
“Memorial” in Danger : not to Remain Silent!
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia sued the Supreme Court to liquidate the International Society “Memorial”.
A new East European University Must be Established in an EU Member State
OPEN LETTER to the European Commission and national governments - from scientists and cultural figures. In the face of the repression…
appeal
“The Ukrainian Garrison in Mariupol can Still be Saved”: Urgent Address to European Leaders
Ukrainian human rights defenders, former dissidents and scholars call European leaders to act now. Read the appeal.
Our Call: Free Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a close friend of Boris Nemtsov and one of the most prominent members of the liberal…
Mariupol, a Martyred City: “Putin Intends to Annihilate Mariupol in an Attempt to Force the Ukrainian Government to Capitulate”
Josef Zissels, co-chairman of the Union of Ukrainian Communities (the Vaad), summarized on WhatsApp on March 15 the vibrant story…
book
The Russian Diaspora, a “Battlefield”?
In his recent interview with Desk Russie, the academic Sergei Medvedev pointed out that “the Kremlin is actively working with emigration”…
Russian-soviet History: the March Backwards
The new book of Françoise Thom, La marche à rebours. Regards sur l’histoire soviétique et russe, Sorbonne université presses, 2021…
The Irresistible Attraction of Authoritarianism
“When the conditions are favorable, any society can turn against democracy” The seduction of authoritarianism seems irresistible today.
editorial
The Time for Courage
Faced with the now massive war launched by Putin against Ukraine, it would be disastrous to give the head of the Kremlin…
Putin’s use of Force in Distant Central Asia Will Have Consequences in Europe
The dispatch of troops to Kazakhstan from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization is a game-changer for the entire Soviet space…
They Tortured Raman: Will European and American Leaders be up to the Challenge of History?
Raman Protasevich was kidnapped by the Belarusian security services in an act of air piracy that must be considered a terrorist action.
human rights
Georgia. an Expatriate Couple Committed to the Protection of Russian Political Dissidents
Egor Kuroptev and Anastasia Burakova are a discreet couple in the Georgian capital…
The Liquidation of Memorial and the Destruction of the Universal Consciousness of Crime
The “liquidation” of Memorial by the so-called Russian “justice” is an attack on the universal conscience.
The Russian Prison System is Built on Violence
The practice of torture in prisons and penal colonies in Russia has long been widespread. Prisoners are tortured and raped…
media
In Germany, Russian State Media Have Kept Spreading Disinformation on war in Ukraine — Despite the EU Sanctions
German historian, political scientist and journalist Susanne Spahn analyzes the activities of Russian state media in Germany.
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
The Consequences of the American Withdrawal from Afghanistan as Seen from Russia: the Impact in Europe, the Fate of NATO
The precipitous withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan was initially welcomed with jubilation in Moscow. Russian media were not only gloating…
russian voices
A war Against Russian Culture Constitutes Support for Vladimir Putin
In this paper, the former Soviet dissident explains that Russian culture lives through difficult times…
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
How the West Should Treat a “Bad Guy”
Russian-American relations are looking more and more like a high-school rivalry between a dumb-ass bully…
analyse
The Toxic Spell of “Imperial Knowledge”
Ukrainian political scientist and thinker Mykola Ryabchuk explains how Russia’s imperial vision of Ukraine has penetrated deeply into Western society, how its most toxic myths and clichés have been uncritically accepted and normalized.
China and India’s distance from Russia’s war on Ukraine may become a trap
Recently, Beijing and Delhi have shown a certain distance towards the Russian aggression against Ukraine and suggested to Moscow to stop it…
caricatures
The Best Christmas Gift
What is the best Christmas present for Ukrainians who are suffering in their flesh from the savage and violent war waged by Putin and his minions?
After the Hardened Criminals Engaged in the Russian Army, who is Next?
For months, Evgueni Prigojine, the boss of the Wagner mercenaries, has been crisscrossing Russian penal colonies in search of criminals…
investigation
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
Operation Chancellery: Russia’s Asymmetric war Against Germany
At the September 26, 2021, Bundestag elections, Germany will decide on its new political leadership. The Chancellor, justly considered hostile to Putin…
ukrainian voices
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
Is Russian Culture Responsible for “Putin’s war” in Ukraine?
Ukrainian philosopher and essayist, Olekskiy Panych, originally from Donetsk, examines in this text the Western attitude towards Russian culture.
cinema
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
electoral watch
Zemmour or the Fascination for Putin
For several weeks, Eric Zemmour has been at the forefront of the media scene. When it comes to East-West relations…
essai
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
justice
The Lawsuit Brought Against Catherine Belton by Russian Oligarchs: a red Alert for Europe
The lawsuit brought against Catherine Belton, a British investigative journalist, by four Russian oligarchs and a Russian state company has not attracted enough…
news briefs
Why Such a Surge in Mortality in the Land of Sputnik V?
Russia is facing a new wave of coronavirus. According to official data, the death rate is increasing…
pearls
Putin — “A Modern Philosopher on the Throne”
The Valdai Discussion Club is a Russian think tank and discussion forum, established in 2004. Some members of the Russian ruling elite gather…
report
Back From Ukraine Where the Future Model for Europe Is Taking Shape
The author has just returned from a trip to Ukraine with a delegation from the European Parliament and the French Senate.
reportage
The Influx of Russians Troubles Georgia
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, nearly 700,000 Russians are believed to have fled their country — in opposition to the war
society
Defederating Russia
What happened to the Russian Empire? It disintegrated at the end of an imperialist war.
tribute
Sergei Kovalev: Conscience of Russia and Conscience of the West
Sergei Kovalev died at the age of 91, on August 9, 2021. According to the journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza who also fights for a democratic Russia…