Meanwhile, as the war has escalated, Russia’s propaganda machine has jumped at every opportunity to show that, as Putin warned when he launched his “special military operation” in February 2022, NATO wants to invade Russia, with the Kursk incursion as the ultimate proof. The message is that the bigger the threat, the more Russians should … Read more
Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov refused to elaborate on Patrushev’s fate, saying only that details would be announced in the coming days. His son, Dmitry Patrushev, has been promoted to deputy prime minister from agriculture minister as part of the same reshuffle. The appointment of Belousov, a veteran economic adviser, to the top defense job is being … Read more
But the unified front hailed by Putin and amplified by Russian state media is only part of the story. For a portion of Russian society, Victory Day is an excruciating annual reminder of the current war in Ukraine, which they see as tarnishing their country’s reputation and distorting its history, as well as that of … Read more
He also lamented the “Noon Against Putin” protest, which saw opposition-minded Russians exhorted by Yulia Navalnaya to spoil their ballot papers or write in her late husband’s name. According to Ponomarev, this only boosted participation in the sham election and allowed Russian state media to broadcast footage of voters lining up at polling stations, adding … Read more
As the curtains draw on a tumultuous year, 2023 leaves behind a tapestry of unraveled events, painting a world shrouded in uncertainty and grappling with an ominous glimpse of the future. In a kaleidoscope of occurrences that defy easy categorization, selecting defining images for an annual overview becomes a difficult task. To encapsulate the essence … Read more
Well, here we are folks, at the end of another turbulent year. When we put this list together at the end of 2022, its contents largely covered something many of us thought we would not see again in our lifetime: a major war in Europe. Now, we are grappling with two wars in our immediate … Read more
<p><strong><span style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 0)”>Which of these European commissioners did not step away from Ursula von der Leyen’s top team this year?</span></strong></p> Jutta Urpilainen Ylva Johansson Mariya Gabriel <p><strong><span style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 0)”>Von der Leyen joined Mark Rutte and Giorgia Meloni on a trip to which country to strike a deal to limit migrant departures?</span></strong></p> … Read more
