For years, ‘liberal’ has been a dirty word in Russia, a shorthand for everything undesirable. Yet state propaganda is having an unexpected side-effect: the rehabilitation of liberalism.
Uneven modernisation has left its mark on Russia, and the authorities are only too happy to exploit it. What does the future hold for Russia’s regional divide? Русский
Against a background of mass protests, Moldova’s parliament has just approved a new government in record time. Русский
Mikheil Saakashvili may have left his native Georgia for Odessa, but one particular legacy of his years in power is still strong. Русский
Из-за теорий заговора люди становятся покорными, а правители перестают чего-либо бояться. В Азербайджане всех диссидентов считают агентами скрытого «армянского лобби». English
You can ban Ukraine’s communists, but you can’t beat them.
Conspiracies keep the people pliant and rulers fearless. In Azerbaijan, all dissidents are considered to be agents of a shadowy ‘Armenian lobby’. Русский
The Russian state wants payback for the mass protests of 2012. But the arrest of another political activist in Russia has attracted the attention of neither the west, nor the European left. Русский
Putin's latest press conference saw a tacit admission of Russian forces in Ukraine and a denial that their presence was ever denied. Here are a few other points you may have missed.
The first sentences under a new law limiting freedom of association in Russia are coming into effect. Their target? ‘Malicious picket-holders’. Русский
After Paris, we need to act against radicalisation. Russia's legacy in the North Caucasus tells us how not to. Русский
To combat Russia’s industrial polluters, public indifference and limits on NGO activity, we need to link climate change and civil society. Русский
