The nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky has been forced to disavow protests over the arrest of a governor from his own party, underscoring growing domestic volatility.
Tag: Russia
How Russia Built a Channel to the Taliban, Once an Enemy
The recent assessment that Russia paid bounties to the insurgents to attack U.S. troops stunned many, but officials said the Kremlin’s outreach began almost a decade ago.
Protests Rock Russian Far East With Calls for Putin to Resign
Tens of thousands took to the streets in Russia’s usually somnolent hinterland after the arrest of a popular regional governor.
The Netherlands Brings Russia to Court Over the Downing of MH17
The Dutch government made the move to help individual cases brought by victims’ relatives, the foreign minister said in a letter to Parliament.
In a Death, Details of More Russian Murder-for-Hire Plots
A Chechen man shot near Vienna last weekend had spoken publicly of giving Austrian and Ukrainian authorities information about contract killings. He also said there was a price on his head.
Russia Arrests Space Agency Official, Accusing Him of Treason
The detention of Ivan Safronov, a former journalist who had been working as an adviser at Roscosmos, took many by surprise. He was accused of passing secrets to an unnamed NATO country.
In Russia, They Tore Down Lots of Statues, but Little Changed
“Waging war on bronze men doesn’t make your life any more moral or just,” one observer noted. “It does nothing really.”
White House Dismisses Reports of Bounties, but Is Silent on Russia
Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, told Fox News that President Trump knew nothing about the reports because the briefer “decided not to” share unverified intelligence with him.
Russia Bounty on Americans: Afghan Acted as Middleman
A small-time businessman became a key middleman for bounties on coalition troops in Afghanistan, U.S. intelligence reports say. Friends saw him grow rich, but didn’t know how.
Trump’s New Russia Problem: Unread Intelligence and Missing Strategy
High-level clearance is not required to see that the list of Russian aggressions in recent weeks rivals some of the worst days of the Cold War.