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ukraine
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 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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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?
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…
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
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…
When the Ukrainians go for it…
Our cartoonist Epo accompanies the Ukrainian advance and makes fun of Russian lies.
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…
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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.
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
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.
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…
“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.
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.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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.
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
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.
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…
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…
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
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 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…
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…
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.
nato
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.
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”.
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.
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…
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…
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 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…
“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.
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.
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.
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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.
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
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”…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
putin
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…
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
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…
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
“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…
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.
“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…
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…
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.
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…
« 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…
european union
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…
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.
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
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…
“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.
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.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
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.
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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.
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.
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
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.
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…
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…
war
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.
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.
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…
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.
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?
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…
When the Ukrainians go for it…
Our cartoonist Epo accompanies the Ukrainian advance and makes fun of Russian lies.
Back to school
Back to school time! In today’s increasingly militarized Russia, many parents are dressing their toddlers…
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.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
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…
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…
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.
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
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…
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.
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.
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.
russia
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 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”.
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…
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
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…
“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…
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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.
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”…
vladimir poutine
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.
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.
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?
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…
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…
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
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…
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.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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.
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
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’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…
propaganda
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”.
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.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
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…
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.
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
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.
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
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…
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…
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
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…
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.
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.
“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…
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?
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…
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…
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…
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
“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…
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
china
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.
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…
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…
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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…
“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.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
crimea
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.
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
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…
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…
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…
« 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…
donbass
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.
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.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
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.
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
« 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…
georgia
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…
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…
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…
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
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
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.
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…
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 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…
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.
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…
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…
« 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…
penalties
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.
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…
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…
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.
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
“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.
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
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…
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
volodymyr zelensky
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.
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
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…
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
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…
“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.
“This is a Fake Button!”
Our cartoonist Epo offers us his new creation.
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…
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
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…
europe
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.
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…
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…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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”…
chechnya
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
poland
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.
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…
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
“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.
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 Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
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…
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…
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.
belarus
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
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…
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
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…
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 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…
“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…
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.
biden
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”.
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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.
ussr
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…
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…
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.
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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…
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…
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.
« 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…
germany
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.
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.
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.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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…
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…
kremlin
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.
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…
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…
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
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…
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…
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: 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…
kyiv
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
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…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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.
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…
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…
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…
stalin
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…
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
“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…
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.
vladimir putin
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
“This is a Fake Button!”
Our cartoonist Epo offers us his new creation.
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.
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…
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.
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
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.
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…
minsk agreements
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
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”…
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…
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…
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.
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.
syria
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.
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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…
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…
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.
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…
united states
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…
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
war crimes
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.
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…
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.
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…
The strategy of barbarism
Desk Russie is continuing to publish the cartoons in which cartoonist Epo reacts to the realities…
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…
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…
emmanuel macron
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…
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
eurasia
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…
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
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.
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…
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…
gorbachev
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…
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”
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…
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…
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…
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.
hitler
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
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.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
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…
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…
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.
afghanistan
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…
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 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…
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…
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”…
corruption
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.
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
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…
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 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…
france
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?
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.
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
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…
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…
gazprom
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.
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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…
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…
human rights
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…
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…
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
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…
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…
macron
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”.
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.
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…
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…
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…
memorial
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…
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
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.
“Memorial” in Danger : not to Remain Silent!
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia sued the Supreme Court to liquidate the International Society “Memorial”.
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.
moldova
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…
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 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…
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…
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.
oligarchs
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”.
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
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.
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
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…
turkey
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
un
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”.
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…
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
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.
Ukraine
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
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…
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
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…
boutcha
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.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
design
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.
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…
diplomacy
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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.
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…
drawing
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.
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…
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…
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
erdogan
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.
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…
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…
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
eurasism
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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.
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
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…
finland
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”.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
“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.
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
india
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.
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…
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…
kgb
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.
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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 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…
maidan
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
“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.
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.
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.
mariupol
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.
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
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”…
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…
media
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.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
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…
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…
mobilization
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…
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…
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…
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…
ocs
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.
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
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”…
olaf scholz
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.
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
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…
sweden
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”.
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
“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.
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
Vladimir Poutine
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”.
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…
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
abkhazia
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.
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
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…
africa
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.
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…
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…
alexander lukashenko
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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.
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
armenia
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…
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.
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.
aukus
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.
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…
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…
azerbaijan
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…
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.
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.
baltic countries
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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…
black sea
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
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.
bosnia and herzegovina
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…
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…
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…
caricature
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
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…
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?
central and eastern europe
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…
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
central asia
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…
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…
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”…
cheese fries
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”.
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.
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…
cold war
“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.
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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…
dmitry medvedev
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…
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.
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…
donetsk
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.
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
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.
european parliament
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.
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.
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…
gas
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
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.
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…
genocide
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…
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
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.
geopolitics
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.
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
guelman
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…
holocaust
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…
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 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…
humor
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.
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
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…
hungary
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…
“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.
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
ideology
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.
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
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…
information
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
internet
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
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.
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…
kaliningrad
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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”…
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…
kasparov
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.
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…
“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…
loukachenko
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
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.
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…
margarita simonian
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 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.
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…
medvedev
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…
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…
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…
nemtsov
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…
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…
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…
north stream
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
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…
ntv
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.
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
odessa
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
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…
press drawing
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
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?
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…
prigojine
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
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.
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…
reagan
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…
“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 Irresistible Attraction of Authoritarianism
“When the conditions are favorable, any society can turn against democracy” The seduction of authoritarianism seems irresistible today.
repression
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
sanctions
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
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…
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.
sergei lavrov
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
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…
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…
south ossetia
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.
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
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…
surkov
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…
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”
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…
taiwan
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.
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…
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…
torture
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.
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…
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.
vaccination
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…
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…
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”…
vladislav surkov
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.
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.
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
wagner
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…
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.
“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.
xi jinping
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”.
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…
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…
yeltsin
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.
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…
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…
European Union
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…
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…
al-qaeda
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.
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…
andropov
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…
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.
anti-americanism
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
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.
appeasement
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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…
aslan maskhadov
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…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
assad
“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…
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…
autocracy
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.
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.
babi yar
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 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…
balkan
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…
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…
baltic states
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…
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…
belton
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…
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…
boris yeltsin
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…
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
caucasus
Why the Anti-jewish Riots in the North Caucasus?
The pogrom at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan (southern Russia) took the world by surprise. How should we interpret this event? Was it spontaneous, or did the Russian authorities manipulate it to send messages to the West and Israel?
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.
central african republic
“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.
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…
central europe
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
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…
cereals
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
chubais
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 (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”.
council of europe
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.
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…
covid
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…
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…
crime against humanity
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…
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.
crimean tatars
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.
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…
csto
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…
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…
daesh
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.
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…
denazification
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
dissent
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…
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
dissidents
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
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…
drones
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.
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
epo
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…
eric zemmour
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.
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…
far right
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
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…
fillon
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…
“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…
georgian dream
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
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
global south
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.
goebbels
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
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…
hamas
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…
« 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…
holodomor
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
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.
hubert vedrine
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
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.
hybrid warfare
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…
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…
hydrocarbons
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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…
imperialism
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.
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.
information warfare
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.
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…
international law
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.
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…
iran
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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…
iskander
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
israel
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…
« 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…
joe biden
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.
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…
kakhovka
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.
karabakh
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.
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.
kazakhstan
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…
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…
khodorkovsky
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.
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…
khrushchev
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.
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…
komintern
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
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.
kosovo
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…
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…
kovalev
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…
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.
laschet
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…
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…
le pen
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…
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…
luhansk
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.
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
mali
“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.
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…
malofeev
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…
map
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.
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…
maria zakharova
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…
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…
mario draghi
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
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…
mikhail gorbachev
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…
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
milorad dodik
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…
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…
molotov
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.
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.
narendra modi
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.
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…
nazarbayev
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…
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…
nkvd
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
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…
nord stream
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 “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…
north stream 2
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
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…
oil
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
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…
opposed
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
otsc
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
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…
pakistan
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.
poutine
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
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…
prigozhin
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.
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.
primakov
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…
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…
protassevitch
“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…
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.
rosneft
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.
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…
russian aggression
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.
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…
russian world
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.
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
russians
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.
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
sakharov
“Memorial” in Danger : not to Remain Silent!
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia sued the Supreme Court to liquidate the International Society “Memorial”.
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…
security
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
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…
security council
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.
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”…
serebrennikov
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…
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
sergei medvedev
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.
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
sputnik v
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…
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”…
tadjikistan
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…
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…
talks
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”…
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
tbilisi
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…
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
trump
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 Irresistible Attraction of Authoritarianism
“When the conditions are favorable, any society can turn against democracy” The seduction of authoritarianism seems irresistible today.
tsirkon
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.
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.
uk
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
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…
vladimir soloviev
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.
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…
vladivostok
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.
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…
vrbětice
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…
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…
weapons
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…
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…
west
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.
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…
william burns
The Second Front
Historian Françoise Thom says, Russia barely gave in on its original plan to settle a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
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…
zelenski
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…
“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…
zelensky
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…
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.
company
Back to Top ↑sergei
Back to Top ↑Abramovich novel
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
Alexander Sokurov
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
Baltic countries
« 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…
Belarus
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…
Bolshevik
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.
Cannes film festival
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
Catholicism
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
Chechnya
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…
Eurasia
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
Greek Catholic Church
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
Putinism
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.
Russian Orthodox Church
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
Russian values
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
Surkov
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”.
Syria
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…
Turkey
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…
Ukrainian children
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
United States
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
abdel fattah al-burhane
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.
abraham's chords
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.
abramovich
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
afd
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…
affecting
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…
after war
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
afterglow
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
akhmed zakaev
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…
al-qaida
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”…
aleksandar vucic
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…
aleksandar vucić
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…
alexander douguine
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.
alexander kalachnikov
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…
alexander lebed
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
alexander motyl
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.
alexandre kolpakidi
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.
alexandre loukachenko
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…
alexeï pushkov
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…
alexeïeva
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.
alexievich
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…
alfred koch
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.
alfred rambaud
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.
ali khamenei
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
allemagne nazie
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
analyse stratégique
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…
analysis
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
anastasia burakova
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…
andrei lugovoi
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
andreï sakharov
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.
ankara
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
anna politkovskaya
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…
annalena baerbock
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…
anne applebaum
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…
anti-Semitism
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…
anti-fascist
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…
anti-jewish
Why the Anti-jewish Riots in the North Caucasus?
The pogrom at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan (southern Russia) took the world by surprise. How should we interpret this event? Was it spontaneous, or did the Russian authorities manipulate it to send messages to the West and Israel?
anti-russian
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…
anti-semitism
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…
anti-wester
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
antivax
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…
antonio guterres
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
antony blinken
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…
antónio guterres
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
armaments
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…
armement
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…
arrest
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…
artemivsk
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.
arthashâstra
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.
artificial intelligence
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”
asean
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.
asymmetry
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…
austria
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
autarky
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
avignon festival
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
baby yar
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
baerbock
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.
bakhmout
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.
bakhtin
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.
balkan stream
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…
ballistic missiles
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
baltic
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
bamako
“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.
banja luka
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…
barack obama
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.
battlefield
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…
bear
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…
behemoth
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…
beijing
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…
belgorod
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.
bellingcat
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…
berdyayev
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.
beria
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.
berlin
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
beslan
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…
beverly hills
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.
bidzina ivanichvili
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
bill gates
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…
bimstec
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.
bleaching
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.
blinken
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.
border
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
border control
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
boris mejuev
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
boris nadezhdin
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.
boris nemtsov
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
borogan
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”…
borrell
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.
boycott
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
brazil
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”.
brexit
The Irresistible Attraction of Authoritarianism
“When the conditions are favorable, any society can turn against democracy” The seduction of authoritarianism seems irresistible today.
brezhnev
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…
bribes
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.
bricks
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.
brics
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…
browder
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…
bucha
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.
bucharest
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.
budanov
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.
bulgarie
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
bundestag
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…
burevestnik
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.
byzantium
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.
bärbock
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…
call
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…
canada
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
carlos
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.
caroline galacteros
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.
caspian
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.
caspienne
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…
cease fire
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”…
cei
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
censorship
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
center for civil liberties
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.
chaadayev
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.
chaplin
When Putin Looks Like…
In a recent publication, Desk Russie found that Putin’s speech resembled the times to that of Stalin and Hitler.
charles kupchan
The Second Front
Historian Françoise Thom says, Russia barely gave in on its original plan to settle a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
charlotte beradt
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
chauvinism
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.
chemical weapons
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…
children
Back to school
Back to school time! In today’s increasingly militarized Russia, many parents are dressing their toddlers…
chine
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
choguel maiga
“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.
choïgou
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…
christmas
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?
cicr
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.
civil society
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.
civilian population
The strategy of barbarism
Desk Russie is continuing to publish the cartoons in which cartoonist Epo reacts to the realities…
claude goasguen
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.
clausewitz
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…
cold War
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
collaboration
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…
collapse
Defederating Russia
What happened to the Russian Empire? It disintegrated at the end of an imperialist war.
collective responsibility
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
collective security
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.
combat
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…
concert des nations
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…
condemnation
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…
conference lennart meri
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…
confusion
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
counter-influence
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…
covid-19
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”
covid19
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…
crime
“Vacation Camp”
This time, our cartoonist tackles the abduction of Ukrainian children by the Russian military…
crimes de guerre
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…
criminal law
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.
crise énergétique
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
crisis
“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.
criticism
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…
dam
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…
daniel
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…
danzig
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.
daria serenko
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
dastel company
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.
dau
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
davos
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.
de gaulle
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…
de-escalation
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
de-europeanization
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
de-sovietization
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…
decolonization
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.
delhi
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”…
democracies
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
democracy
“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.
democratic opposition
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…
deng xiaoping
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…
denmark
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
deportation
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.
depoutinization
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…
deputinization
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.
destruction
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…
desukrainization
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
deutsche welle
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.
diaspora
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…
dictatorship
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…
diet
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.
disinformation
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.
djohar dudaev
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…
dmitri medvedev
A Brainstorming Session
This week, our cartoonist takes aim at Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation…
dmitri mouratov
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…
dmitri peskov
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
dmitri simes
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.
dmytro kuleba
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…
dolinsky
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…
donald trump
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.
donation basin
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
dostoyevsky
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.
draw
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”.
droa
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
drone
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.
duc de richelieu
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.
duma
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
eastern europe
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…
ebrahim raisi
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
echo of moscow
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.
edouard herriot
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
education
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…
edward lozansky
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.
egor kuroptev
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…
eisenhower
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.
elections
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…
elena trebougova
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.
elene khochtaria
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
emigration
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
emmanuel Macron
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
emmanuel kant
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.
energy
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…
erdoğan
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”…
escalation
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…
eu
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…
eu council
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
eurasian union
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.
eurasianism
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…
european Union
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…
european aspirations
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
european court of human rights
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…
evgueni prigojine
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…
excess mortality
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”…
executions
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…
exil
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
exile
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…
expansionism
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
experts
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
exports
A Slippery Slope
The double blackmail exercised by the Russian president, gas blackmail and world famine blackmail, is starting to pay off…
fatah
« 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…
fbi
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.
fighting russia
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
finlandization
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…
florence parly
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…
food safety
“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.
foreign Legion
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.
forum of free peoples
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…
fpo
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…
fpö
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…
franco-russian alliance
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.
frankenstein
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
françois mitterrand
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
fraud
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.
free world association
“Memorial” in Danger : not to Remain Silent!
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia sued the Supreme Court to liquidate the International Society “Memorial”.
freedom of expression
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
freedom of opinion
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.
freedom of press
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…
french elections
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
french senate
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.
fridman
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…
fso
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…
fuks
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…
g7
“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.
gaidar
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.
garibachvili
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…
gasprom
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.
gaz
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
gaz naturel liquéfié
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
gazprom-media
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.
geneva conventions
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.
geneva summit
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.
geneviève tabouis
Journalist Geneviève Tabouis: Soviet Funding and Influence
A 1965 documentary shows her: a very dignified lady, first in front of her microphone…
george floyd
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.
german khan
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
gevorg mirzayan
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.
ginzburg
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…
gkchp
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…
gleb pavlovsky
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.
global security forum
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
goering
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…
gogol-center
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
golden horde
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.
gopnik
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.
gorbatchev
“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…
gothenburg
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
gotland
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
goulet
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…
gramsci
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.
great emigration
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…
great patriotic war
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.
grigoriants
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”.
guilt
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…
gulag
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.
gusinsky
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.
halifax international security forum
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.
hannah arendt
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
hate
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
hemetti
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.
herman van rompuy
“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.
hillary clinton
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.
history
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.
holy russia
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
holy see
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
home to europe
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
humiliation
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
huntington
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.
hybrid
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…
hybrid war
Sowing Chaos
The Russian president is known for his professional habit of disguising the truth, but he is sometimes surprisingly frank.
iakounine
“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…
ianoukovitch
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…
illarionov
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…
ilya khrzhanovsky
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
independence
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
inflation
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
influencers
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
influx
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
intelligent imperialists
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.
international committee of the red cross
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.
international court of justice
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…
international humanitarian law
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.
international order
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.
international reaction
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…
international video
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.
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…
intégrité territoriale
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…
investigation
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
investments
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.
irkoutsk
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…
islamabad
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”…
istanbul
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…
ivan aksakov
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.
ivan iii
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.
ivan kotliarevsky
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
ivanichvili
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…
ivashov
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…
jail
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…
jake sullivan
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
jdanov
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
jean-francois Revel
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
jean-marie le pen
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.
jehovah's witnesses
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
jitomir
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.
jobbik
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…
john paul ii
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
joseph goebbels
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.
joseph noulens
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.
josip broz tito
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…
journalism
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
jozef pilsudski
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…
jules michelet
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…
kadyrov
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…
kalibr
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…
karl jaspers
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…
kassym-jomart tokaïev
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…
kastous kalinovski
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…
kasyanov
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…
khan
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…
kharkov
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
khasaviurt chords
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
khayyam satellite
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
khrjanovski
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…
kiev
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…
kirill serebrennikov
Kirill Serebrennikov. Asking the right questions
This year, Kirill Serebrennikov, Russian director and filmmaker, is attending two major festivals in Cannes and Avignon…
kiselev
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.
kissinger
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.
klichko
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…
kolomoïsky
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…
komanda 29
Resist the Homo Putinoidus!
Desk Russie recently published an article about the lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who is currently the victim of judicial persecution.
konstantin zatulin
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.
kovcheg
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…
kozak
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…
kryuchkov
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…
kurt Volker
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…
kyiv declaration
Ukrainian Civil Society Leaders’ six Asks for the World
Putin has unleashed a bloody war on the people of Ukraine. Our hospitals, schools and homes have been bombed…
kyrgyzstan
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”…
kyïv
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…
lauder
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…
lavrov
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…
law and justice
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…
ldpr
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
le drian
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…
le figaro
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.
lebed
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”.
lebensraum
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.
legislative elections
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.
leni riefenstahl
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.
lenin
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.
lgbt
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
libya
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…
lies
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…
lincoln
“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.
lithuania
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…
litvinenko
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”…
lobbies
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…
loi de programmation militaire
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…
louhansk
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.
loznitsa
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
lula
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”.
lviv
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.
madagascar
“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.
maduro
“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…
mafia
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…
magadan
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…
malachenko
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”.
mannerheim
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
march 10-11 eu leaders' summit
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
maria butina
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.
mariani
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…
marie mendras
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…
marine le pen
“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…
markov
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…
markov
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…
marshall
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…
marshall plan
Melancholic reflections on the French elections
The results of the first round of the French elections are astonishing.
martin niemöller
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.
mass crimes
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
massacre
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…
maxim galkine
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…
maxime kalachnikov
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.
mediterranean
Why do we Want Ukraine to Win?
Today, the Ukrainian army is being tested in the Don basin.
medvedchuk
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…
melenchon
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…
memes
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
mental health
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…
merkel
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.
mgcs
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…
michoustine
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”
middle east
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…
mijatović
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…
mikhail fridman
Is Russian Culture Beyond Politics?
In this piece, Ukrainian art critic Daria Badior discusses a very important issue.
mikhail katkov
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.
mikhalkov
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…
mikhaïl kroutikhine
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
mikheil saakashvili
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
mikoyan
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.
militarization
Back to school
Back to school time! In today’s increasingly militarized Russia, many parents are dressing their toddlers…
military budget
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
military forces
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…
military industry
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
military nuclear
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…
military strategy
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…
milov
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…
minsk
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.
molotov-ribbentrop pact
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…
money embezzlement
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.
morgenstern
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
mortality
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…
moscow
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.
moskva
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
mozambique
“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.
multilateralism
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.
nazi
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
near stranger
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.
negotiated solution
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
negotiation
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
negotiations
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…
neo-Nazism
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…
neocolonialism
“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.
netanyahu
« 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…
ngo
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…
nicholas 1st
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…
nicholas i
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.
nicolas sarkozy
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.
nihilism
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.
nika gvaramia
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
nikita mikhalkov
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…
nikol pachinian
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…
nikolai patrushev
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…
nixon
« 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…
nobel prize
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…
nord stream 2
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.
nordstream 2
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…
nordstream-2
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.
north atlantic
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.
north korea
Imagine Wearing “Fascist” Clothes
The war against Ukraine has placed Russia in the category of pariah states.
norway
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
noursoultan nazarbaïev
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…
novaya gazeta
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…
novgorod
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.
novitchok
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.
nuclear agreement
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
nuclear blackmail
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…
nuclear war
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
nuclear weapons
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…
numbers
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…
nuremberg
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.
nuremberg pact
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…
négociations
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…
occident
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.
occupation tax
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
october 7
Why the Anti-jewish Riots in the North Caucasus?
The pogrom at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan (southern Russia) took the world by surprise. How should we interpret this event? Was it spontaneous, or did the Russian authorities manipulate it to send messages to the West and Israel?
oleg deripaska
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.
oleksij arestovych
The Other Russian Offensive
Faced with the perilous situation that the West’s unanimous condemnation of the war in Ukraine represents, Russia has launched…
oliver stone
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…
omar al-bashir
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.
omsk
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…
opec
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
opinion
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…
orban
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…
orthodox church
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…
osce
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.
ossetia
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…
ostpolitik
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…
ostsee
History, Geopolitics and Perspectives of the Baltic Sea
On May 17, 2022, Finland officially announced its candidacy for NATO membership.
ota
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…
otan
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…
palestine
« 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…
pandemic
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”…
paris
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…
pasdarans
Iran, a platform for circumventing sanctions against Russia
According to the French geopolitologist, the Russian-Iranian alliance is strengthening against the backdrop…
pashinyan
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…
passportization
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
patriarch
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…
patriarch kirill
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
patriarchy
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…
patriotism
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.
patrouchev
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…
paul manafort
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.
pauper's grave
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…
pavlovsky
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”.
pen-moscou
“Memorial” in Danger : not to Remain Silent!
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia sued the Supreme Court to liquidate the International Society “Memorial”.
perestroika
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.
peter pomerantsev
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…
peter the great
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.
pierre le grand
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
pierre lorrain
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
pinchuk
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…
pius xii
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
podrabinek
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”.
polish uprising
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…
political crimes
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…
political refugees
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…
political scientists
The Post-war World Seen from Russia
How do experts, close to the Kremlin or not, represent the post-war world?
pologne
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
pomerantsev
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…
pope francis
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
poroshenko
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.
port sudan
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.
poseidon 2M39
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.
power of veto
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.
ppe
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…
presidential election
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…
press
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…
press illustration
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
prilepin
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…
prilepine
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…
prison
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…
privatization
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.
psychiatry
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…
psychoanalysis
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…
psychological profile
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…
psychology
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…
public anxiety
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
public opinion
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
purges
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.
putin fear
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
putinism
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.
putinists
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.
putsch
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…
pétrole
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
quad
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.
queue
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
rabinovich
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…
rabinovitch
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…
re-engagement
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
realpolitik
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…
recruitment
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…
red
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.
red line
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…
referenda
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…
refugees
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
reich
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…
report
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…
resistance
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…
responsibility to protect
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…
revisionism
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
ria novosti
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
riabchuk
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
ribbentrop
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.
richard von weizsäcker
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…
riots
Why the Anti-jewish Riots in the North Caucasus?
The pogrom at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan (southern Russia) took the world by surprise. How should we interpret this event? Was it spontaneous, or did the Russian authorities manipulate it to send messages to the West and Israel?
robert habeck
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
roger wicker
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.
roman kechur
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…
roosevelt
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.
rt
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.
rubliovka
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…
russia today
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.
russian bear
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…
russian culture
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…
russian economy
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.
russian empire
Defederating Russia
What happened to the Russian Empire? It disintegrated at the end of an imperialist war.
russian federation
Defederating Russia
What happened to the Russian Empire? It disintegrated at the end of an imperialist war.
russian inflow
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
russian leaders
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.
russian open
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…
russian power
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.
russian speakers
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.
russie
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…
russiness
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.
rwanda
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
rêve
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
sacred union
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.
sahel
“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.
saltykov-shchedrin
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.
santa claus
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?
savtchenko
“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…
scap
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…
school
Back to school
Back to school time! In today’s increasingly militarized Russia, many parents are dressing their toddlers…
schröder
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…
sdn
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.
second world war
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…
security concerns
Creating Frankenstein
Today’s Russia was largely prefigured by the red-brown coalition in the early 1990s, and Putin is just its embodiment…
sentsov
“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…
serbia
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…
serfs
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…
sergei kirienko
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.
sergei naryshkin
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.
sergei riabkov
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…
sergei ryabkov
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…
sergei shoigu
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.
sergey karaganov
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.
shamanism
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
shanghai group
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…
shoah
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…
shoigu
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…
sibérie
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
siloviki
Europe Must Accept Being at War
Accustomed to post WW2 peacetime, European politicians refuse to think about the war as state…
simonian
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…
siniavski
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…
six day war
« 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…
skripal
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…
slavophiles
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.
slavophilia
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…
snake island
“Bavovna” and Other Ukrainians Memes : how Laughing Helps to Keep Going
The Ukrainian intellectual Marianna Perebenesiuk tells us about some funny memes…
snyder
The Irresistible Attraction of Authoritarianism
“When the conditions are favorable, any society can turn against democracy” The seduction of authoritarianism seems irresistible today.
soft propaganda
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
soldatov
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”…
soldiers
When the Ukrainians go for it…
Our cartoonist Epo accompanies the Ukrainian advance and makes fun of Russian lies.
solidarność
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
solovyov
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…
solzhenitsyn
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”.
sourkov
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…
south stream
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…
soviet crimes
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…
soviet union
Defederating Russia
What happened to the Russian Empire? It disintegrated at the end of an imperialist war.
special operation
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
speech
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
sputnik
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.
ssc-x-8
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.
staline
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…
stalinism
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.
status quo
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
story
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…
strategic autonomy
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
strategy
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…
street protest
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
suakin island
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.
submarines
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…
subversion
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.
succession
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.
sud global
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…
summit
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.
surveys
The Power of Propaganda
Former Soviet political prisoner Russian journalist Aleksandr Podrabinek analyzes the power of Kremlin propaganda…
svetlana alexievich
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.
svetlana tikhanovskaya
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…
svinarenko
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.
systemic liberals
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.
tajikistan
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”…
taliban
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”…
tartous
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.
tatars
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”…
tchekhov
Understanding Uprooting: With Charlotte Beradt
The art historian and writer Olga Medvedkova delivers the second part of her “little library of antifascism”…
television
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
the drian
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.
third reich
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…
three seas initiative
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…
tikhanovskaïa
“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…
timofei sergeitsev
Russian Ideologues Aim to Liquidate the Ukrainian Nation
The author examines the writings of the former Russian president and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev…
timothy snyder
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…
to cook
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.
tokayev
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…
tolstoy
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…
tornike goguadze
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
total war
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…
totalitarianism
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
trans-imperialism
From Belarus to Belorussia: the Resatellisation of a Former Soviet Republic
Since the worst cannot be ruled out, strategists need to “think the unthinkable”.
transnistria
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.
trial
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…
troika
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…
trotski
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”…
tucker carlson
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.
turbo-patriots
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.
turkmenistan
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…
turkstream
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…
ue
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…
ukraine integration
Ukraine’s “European Dream”
Ukrainian political scientist analyzes Europe’s attitude towards Ukraine.
ukraine war
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…
ukrainian crisis
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…
union européenne
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
united national movement
Georgia: to be or not to Be
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is having a considerable impact in the former Soviet countries.
united nations
« 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…
united russia
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.
us secret service
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.
usa
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…
uzbekistan
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”…
valdai
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…
valeri soloveï
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.
varhelyi
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…
vassili nebenzia
A Spoonful of Tar in a Barrel of Honey
Marianna Perebenesiuk, an analyst of Ukrainian origin who is often invited on French TV channels…
vatican
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
victims
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…
victoire
“They Pretend not to be Nazi!”
Cartoonists have always taken up current affairs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception.
viktor orban
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
viktor vekselberg
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.
visa
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
visegrad group
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…
visegrád group
“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.
vladimir jankelevich
Nezalezhnist — On Zelensky’s Style
French art historian and writer of Russian origin, Olga Medvedkova analyzes the essence of Zelensky’s style…
vladimir kara-mourza
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…
vladimir medinsky
Istanbul Talks: What Does Russia Want?
The announcement of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations has raised hopes in the West, and stock markets have rebounded.
vladimir ossetchkine
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…
vladimir potanin
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.
vladimir zhirinovsky
Reveling in Transgression
With Vladimir Putin, one always believes that the bottom of disgrace has been reached, that the Kremlin cannot do even worse.
volokhova
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…
vpn
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.
vucić
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…
václav havel
Strategy of the Absurd
A lot of recent information about Russia can be disconcerting for a reasonable reader. It is absurd. It is incomprehensible.
wagner
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…
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.
“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.
wagner militia
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.
war crime
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.
washington
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…
watch
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”.
weariness
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?
wedding rings
In Europe, There can be no French Exceptionalism
The strategic ambiguities of France and Germany and the reiteration of Emmanuel Macron’s unfortunate words…
wehrmacht
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.
weimar triangle
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…
welcome
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…
western countries
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.
western europe
Prophecy and Anger: “Useless Knowledge”
In a 1988 book, La connaissance inutile (Useless Knowledge), the French philosopher Jean-François Revel analyzed a classic paradox…
wii
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…
world war 3
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
wwiii
The Best Time to Fight Russia
We have to fight Putin today. We must do everything to protect Ukraine…
yamal
Putin: the Phase of Self-destruction
The Russian president is unable to learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he is not infallible.
yanukovych
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…
yevgeny prigozhin
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.
yugoslavia
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…
yumachev
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”.
zakhar prilepine
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.
zakharchenko
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…
zircon
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…
zissels
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…
zoran milanovic
The special orthodoxy of Pope Francis
Historian Françoise Thom examines the relationship between the Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis…
zveno-3s
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.
zviaguintsev
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…
zygar
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…
zyuganov
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”.