Is China preparing for a post-Putin Russia?
One of the greatest mysteries of the Russo-Ukrainian War is China’s actual policy. While China moves cautiously, it appears to be gradually distancing itself from Vladimir Putin. A little-noticed fact…
POST-SOVIET
NEWS OF POLITICS OF POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES
The fight against courtroom corruption continues in wartime Ukraine
The head of Ukraine’s Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, was detained in mid-May on corruption charges based on an alleged $2.7 million bribe. The charges were brought by Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption…
Ukraine’s Diia platform sets the global gold standard for e-government
Several thousand people gathered at the Warner Theater in Washington DC on May 23 for a special event dedicated to Ukraine’s award-winning e-governance platform Diia. “Ukrainians are not only fighting.…
Russia’s new reality: Less Peter the Great, more Putin the Pariah
Will Vladimir Putin dare to visit the BRICS summit in South Africa this August? In previous years, his attendance would have been taken for granted, but war crimes charges brought…
Exploring the secrets of Ukraine’s successful wartime diplomacy
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion fifteen months ago, Ukraine has been forced to fight for national survival on the battlefield while at the same time creating and maintaining…
Ukraine must reduce role of state in the economy to boost EU integration
The European Commission’s Spring economic forecast for Ukraine, which was published last week, offered a more upbeat assessment of the country’s prospects than might have been expected given the devastating…
Russian narratives ignore real reasons for Western support of Ukraine
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev gave a lengthy interview to Russian publication Izvestia in early May that read like a script for Russian officials and sympathisers seeking to justify…
Belgorod raid sparks border alarm for Russia ahead of Ukrainian offensive
Ukrainians woke up on Monday morning to the unexpected news of an unfolding military operation across the border in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. The incursion was reportedly the work of two…
Ukraine’s coming counteroffensive has a good chance of succeeding
As the Ukrainian General Staff prepares for its much-heralded counteroffensive, retaking Crimea is at the top of the operational wish list. Some experts, including senior US officials, consider this an…
China, Iran, Belarus, and Armenia all fear a Russian defeat in Ukraine
There is no question that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has dramatically undermined Russia’s global standing, but it is also true that international responses to the war have been far…