insert_link World 3 things to watch for in Russia’s presidential election – other than Putin’s win, that is By Adam Lenton, Wake Forest University Russians will vote in a presidential election from March 15-17, 2024, and are all but guaranteed to hand Vladimir Putin a comfortable victory, paving the way for him to remain in power until at least 2030. While the result may be a foregone conclusion, the election offers an important glimpse into the Kremlin’s domestic challenges as it continues a war against […] todayMarch 14, 2024 14
insert_link World Ukraine war: Russian soldiers’ wives are increasingly outspoken in their opposition By Jennifer Mathers, Aberystwyth University and Natasha Danilova, University of Aberdeen International Women’s Day is widely celebrated in Russia. But amid the bouquets of flowers and stilted speeches of congratulation made by Vladimir Putin, the state-controlled media will be doing its best to ignore one group of Russia’s women. These are the wives of some of its soldiers fighting in Ukraine, who have embarked on a series […] todayMarch 8, 2024 25
insert_link Videos 500 sanctions vs. $60 billion in aid: Best way to ‘defeat Russia’ is by helping Ukraine ‘on ground’ Ukraine vowed to triumph over Russian "darkness" as it entered a new year of war weakened by a lack of Western aid and with Moscow emboldened by fresh gains. To mark the second anniversary, a virtual summit of G7 leaders was due to take place at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral later Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attending. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" at dawn […] todayFebruary 24, 2024 22
insert_link World Alexei Navalny had a vision of a democratic Russia. That terrified Vladimir Putin to the core By Robert Horvath, La Trobe University Alexei Navalny was a giant figure in Russian politics. No other individual rivalled the threat he posed to the Putin regime. His death in an Arctic labour camp is a blow to all those who dreamed he might emerge as the leader of a future democratic Russia. What made Navalny so important was his decision to become an anti-corruption crusader in […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 35
insert_link World Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on The legacy of Alexei Navalny lives on. Ian Langsdon/AFP via Getty Images Regina Smyth, Indiana University Long lines of Russians endured subzero temperatures in January 2024 to demand that anti-Ukraine war candidate Boris Nadezhdin be allowed to run in the forthcoming presidential election. It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner. Authorities say Navalny, a persistent thorn in […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 19
insert_link World Alexei Navalny: reported death of Putin’s most prominent opponent spells the end of politics in Russia By Alexander Titov, Queen's University Belfast Reports of the death of Russia’s most famous opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in an Arctic prison camp are shocking, but not entirely unexpected. It draws a line under Russia’s political development over the past two decades by highlighting that a challenge from within is no longer possible. Navalny was the last public politician to pose a real challenge to the Kremlin, but […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 14
World NATO showcases spending hikes in riposte to Trump By Max DELANY Brussels, Feb 14, 2024 (AFP) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday 18 of the alliance's 31 countries are set to hit its defence spending target this year, after Donald Trump threatened to encourage Russia to attack members not coughing up enough. The Republican White House frontrunner was widely rebuked after saying he would not defend NATO members who had not met their financial obligations, in […] todayFebruary 14, 2024 5
insert_link World Russia’s next election is likely to put Putin in power for longer than anyone since Peter the Great By Rod Thornton, King's College London Presidential elections will be held in Russia in March. It is inevitable that the incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, will win. Putin has been in power (whether as president or as prime minister) since 2000. If he wins again, and he serves his full six-year term, he will have been in power for 30 years, longer than any Russian or Soviet […] todayFebruary 8, 2024 14
insert_link World Biden wobbles under weight of multiple open fronts around the world Long gone is the Joe Biden of February 2023, strolling confidently through the streets of Kyiv, basking in the role as champion of the Ukrainian cause in the fight against Vladimir Putin's Russia. Nearly one year after that triumphant appearance, the US president is instead facing the harsh realities of running for re-election while bogged down in one stagnant war and navigating the volatility of another, as the conflict in […] todayJanuary 25, 2024 7