Russia

Upping the Ante

With 100,000 protesters -- young, old, and everything in between -- out in the freezing streets of Moscow, the heat is being turned up on Vladimir Putin's drive for the presidency.

BY JULIA IOFFE | FEBRUARY 5, 2012

The Cynics at the Gates

The world is more prepared to stop atrocities than ever before, but it is still unwilling -- or unable -- to actually bring those atrocities to an end.

BY JAMES TRAUB | FEBRUARY 3, 2012

Is Putin's Fake Rival the Real Deal?

Everyone thought billionaire playboy Mikhail Prokhorov was just a patsy for Vladimir Putin to run against and crush. But what if he wins?

BY SIMON SHUSTER | FEBRUARY 3, 2012

Brothers in Arms

Vladimir Putin's stubborn support for the Syrian regime is intended to shore up his faltering support within Russia.

BY MICHAEL WEISS, JULIA PETTENGILL | FEBRUARY 2, 2012

The Georgian Paradox

As Georgia's recent experience demonstrates, fighting corruption and building democracy are two different things.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 31, 2012

Why Putinomics Isn't Worth Emulating

Don't let the Russian economy fool you: It's still all about oil.

BY PETER PASSELL | JANUARY 27, 2012

8 Geopolitically Endangered Species

Meet the weaker countries that will suffer from American decline.

BY ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI | JAN/FEB 2012

The End of Putin

Alexey Navalny on why the Russian protest movement will win.

INTERVIEW BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 28, 2011

Won't Get Fooled Again

With unprecedented protests in Moscow this weekend, Russia's growing opposition movement is making it clear they won't stand for Putin's march to power.

BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 24, 2011

The Man Who Got Russia Right

Washington has a long tradition of misreading Moscow. As Putin teeters, it’s worth recalling George Kennan, the best Kremlinologist America ever had.

BY SUSAN B. GLASSER | DECEMBER 23, 2011

Vaclav Havel, Man of Whimsy

In memory of a natural dissident -- and an accidental president.

BY JEFFREY GEDMIN | JAN/FEB 2012

The Condomnation of Vladimir Putin

Russia’s embattled ruler meets his public.

BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 16, 2011

Project Prokhorov

From the right angle, the Russian oligarch almost looks like a real presidential candidate. He's not.

BY SHAUN WALKER | DECEMBER 14, 2011

Next Year, in Review

From the fall of Ahmadinejad, Assad, Castro, and Chavez to the rise of cyberattacks -- the top 13 stories that could dominate the headlines in 2012.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | DECEMBER 12, 2011

The Decembrists

No one's quite sure what's going on in the streets of Moscow -- or what to call it -- but it's growing and powerful ... and could all end badly.

BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 9, 2011

Now Hear This, Moscow

It’s time for President Obama to talk tough about Russia’s rigged parliamentary elections.

BY DAVID J. KRAMER | DECEMBER 8, 2011

Soviet Streets

Want to know what Eastern Europe is thinking these days? Check out the writing on the wall.

CAPTIONS BY ALEXIS ZIMBERG, NICHOLAS VAN BEEK | DECEMBER 6, 2011

#OccupyMoscow

Protesters crying foul, armoured vehicles in the streets -- is this what an election victory looks like in Putin's Russia?

BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 6, 2011

The Anti-Putin Brigade

Portraits of Russia's would-be revolutionaries -- and their intimate thoughts on Vladimir Putin and the country's dark political future.

PHOTOS BY KIRILL NIKITENKO | DECEMBER 5, 2011

Election Hardball, Kremlin Style

In advance of Sunday's parliamentary ballot, the pro-Putin camp is cracking down hard on independent election monitors.

BY JULIA IOFFE | DECEMBER 2, 2011

Putin and the Boo-boys

A new wave of anti-Putin sentiment is sweeping Russia, but with the once-and-future president still loved by more than two-thirds of the population, there's little hope for change.

BY JULIA IOFFE | NOVEMBER 29, 2011

The Axis of No

How the Arab Spring made accidental allies out of Moscow and Beijing. 

BY DMITRI TRENIN | NOVEMBER 23, 2011

First, They Came for the Journalists

One year after Oleg Kashin was brutally attacked in Moscow, the noted journalist looks back on the clownishly futile investigations -- and the climate of fear that threatens his profession.

BY JULIA IOFFE | NOVEMBER 9, 2011

Meet the New Putin, Same as the Old Putin

As the de facto president seeks to reassure foreign investors, it's clear that everyone's a little on edge.

BY JULIA IOFFE | OCTOBER 7, 2011

Twilight of a Seat-Warmer

Medvedev's worst week ever just keeps on going.

BY JULIA IOFFE | OCTOBER 4, 2011

Cheer Up, Little Dima

It could be worse, Medvedev. At least you made the country better -- and that's more than the next president can say.

BY STEPHEN SESTANOVICH | SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Disaster Politics

The real story behind Putin's return to the throne: Russia is headed for economic catastrophe, and nothing he does can stop it.

BY JULIA IOFFE | SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

The Return of the King

It's official: Vladimir Putin is Russia's once and future president. So how come we're surprised all over again?

BY JULIA IOFFE | SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

You Should Be Ashamed!

Russian democracy, civil society, and economy may all look bad from the outside. But to hear Putin talk, it’s the West that should be embarrassed.

BY JULIA IOFFE | SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

Abkhazia's Independence Farce

The push for Abkhaz statehood makes a mockery of international law -- and recognition would represent a chilling validation of ethnic cleansing.

BY ANDREI ILLARIONOV | SEPTEMBER 16, 2011