Tag: russia

  • Putin Ally Mines Gold and Plays Favorites in Sudan – The New York Times

    ‘From Russia With Love’: A Putin Ally Mines Gold and Plays Favorites in Sudan Backed by the Kremlin, the shadowy network known as the Wagner Group is getting rich in Sudan while helping the military to crush a democracy movement. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/05/world/africa/wagner-russia-sudan-gold-putin.html But Wagner is far more than a war machine in Africa, and a […]

  • How Russia’s Wagner Group Is Expanding in Africa – The New York Times

    Putin’s Shadow Soldiers: How the Wagner Group Is Expanding in Africa Best known for its mercenaries, the Wagner Group also mines diamonds, spreads disinformation and props up autocrats in an effort to grow Russia’s footprint. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/world/africa/wagner-group-africa.html But Wagner is far more than a simple guns-for-gold scheme. Operating through a sprawling web of shell companies, […]

  • Putin’s Pivot to a “Really Big War” in Ukraine | The New Yorker

    Putin’s Pivot to a “Really Big War” in Ukraine As his invasion enters its fourth month, the Russian leader is preparing for the long haul. Meanwhile, the military is chattering about its losses, and putting out calls for supplies on Telegram. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/putins-pivot-to-a-really-big-war-in-ukraine Yes. Unfortunately, now they accept it. When we first […]

  • Inside Putin’s Propaganda Machine | The New Yorker

    Inside Putin’s Propaganda Machine Current and former employees describe Russian state television as an army, one with a few generals and many foot soldiers who never question their orders. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/inside-putins-propaganda-machine Most recent episodes have been devoted to mocking Ukraine and its allies—especially the United States and President Biden—and debating Russia’s options. […]

  • Russian Tycoon Criticized Putin’s War. Retribution Was Swift. – The New York Times

    Russian Tycoon Criticized Putin’s War. Retribution Was Swift. Oleg Tinkov spoke out against his country’s war in Ukraine. Now he is in hiding. In an exclusive interview he said, “I don’t believe in Russia’s future’’ under Vladimir Putin. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/world/europe/oligarch-putin-oleg-tinkov.html “I’ve realized that Russia, as a country, no longer exists,” Mr. Tinkov said, predicting that […]

  • Is the Russian Military a Paper Tiger? | The New Yorker

    Is the Russian Military a Paper Tiger? At a critical juncture in the war in Ukraine, logistical miscalculations and poor planning have revealed key weaknesses in Putin’s armed forces. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/is-the-russian-military-a-paper-tiger They were showing the same kind of problems back then: this disunity of command; logistical weaknesses; poorly trained, poorly motivated, poorly […]

  • He Was a Penniless Donor to the Far Right. He Was Also a Russian Spy. – The New York Times

    He Was a Penniless Donor to the Far Right. He Was Also a Russian Spy. An investigation in Slovakia has exposed how Russian clandestine operations are trying to sow discord in Europe and create sympathy for Moscow over Ukraine. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/world/europe/russian-spies-europe-ukraine.html “I told Moscow that you are such a good boy,” the Russian spy, Sergei […]

  • Atrocities in Ukraine War Have Deep Roots in Russian Military – The New York Times

    Atrocities in Ukraine War Have Deep Roots in Russian Military Like the shelling of cities, the seemingly pointless, close-up killing of individuals recalls wars in Chechnya. Do they reflect intent, or only indifference, propaganda and a military culture of violence? Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/17/world/europe/ukraine-war-russia-atrocities.html The brutality of Moscow’s war on Ukraine takes two distinct forms, familiar to […]

  • Opinion | How Do We Deal With a Superpower Led by a War Criminal? – The New York Times

    Opinion | How Do We Deal With a Superpower Led by a War Criminal? There’s never been a pariah state as consequential as Russia. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/opinion/putin-russia-ukraine.html But with Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, his indiscriminate crushing of its cities and mass killings of Ukrainian civilians, he went from “bad boy” to “war criminal.” And when […]

  • Will Mercenaries and Foreign Fighters Change the Course of Ukraine’s War? | The New Yorker

    Will Mercenaries and Foreign Fighters Change the Course of Ukraine’s War? At a critical strategic juncture, non-state actors threaten to complicate the conflict. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/will-mercenaries-and-foreign-fighters-change-the-course-of-ukraines-war The infusion of outsiders and “irregular forces” could further complicate an already messy conflict, according to a report released on Monday by the Soufan Center, a nonprofit, […]

  • A Brutal Russian Playbook Reapplied in Ukraine – The New York Times

    A Brutal Russian Playbook Reapplied in Ukraine The besieging of cities, the deliberate targeting of civilians — they are the tactics Russia used before, in Grozny. I saw it firsthand. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/world/europe/russia-chechnya-grozny-ukraine.html They were met by highly motivated units of Chechen fighters, armed with anti-tank rockets, who ambushed their columns, trapping and burning hundreds of […]

  • How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London | The New Yorker

    How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London From banking to boarding schools, the British establishment has long been at their service, discretion guaranteed. via The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/28/how-putins-oligarchs-bought-london The stark implication of “Putin’s People” is not just that the President of Russia may be a silent partner in one of England’s most storied sports franchises but also that […]