menu_open Columnists

The Moscow Times

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Why an Official's Flight to the U.S. Should Worry the Kremlin

Why an Official's Flight to the U.S. Should Worry the Kremlin

The reported flight from Russia to the U.S. of Denis Butsayev, the recently dismissed deputy minister for natural resources and ecology, fits a...

yesterday 8

The Moscow Times

Kevin Riehle

The Kremlin Fiddles While Tuapse Burns

The Kremlin Fiddles While Tuapse Burns
30.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Vladimir Slivyak

40 Years Later, Chernobyl Remains a Lesson in the Unthinkable

40 Years Later, Chernobyl Remains a Lesson in the Unthinkable
26.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Charles Digges

Why Bulgaria’s New Leader May Not Become Putin’s New Trojan Horse

Why Bulgaria’s New Leader May Not Become Putin’s New Trojan Horse
24.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Dalibor Rohac

The Paradox of Prosecuting Russian Criminals

The Paradox of Prosecuting Russian Criminals
23.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Sergey Golubok

Russia's Blasphemy Laws Are Just Kremlin Censorship in Disguise

22.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Lucy Ash

Dudayev’s Legacy Still Resonates 30 Years After His Assassination

21.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Harold Chambers

Influencers Versus Putin? What a Farce!

20.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Anton Starikov

Russia and North Korea’s Propaganda Partnership Is Taking Shape

16.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Anthony V. Rinna

Ending the Ukraine War Won't Fix Russia's Economy

15.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Vasily burov

The West's Russian Language Skills Are in Decline. That's a Strategic Mistake.

13.04.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Juuso eskonmaa

I'm in Russia. By Blocking Telegram, the Kremlin Is Shooting Itself in the Foot.

08.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

An Anonymous Writer In Russia

How the Kremlin Is Considering Cracking Down on Financial Freedom

07.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Tatyana Rybakova

Russia Is Redefining Genocide for Political Purposes

06.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Arshak Makichyan

Another Russia-Linked Nuclear Power Plant Is at Risk From War. This Time, in Iran.

02.04.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Dmitry Gorchakov

Sanctioned Russian Tycoons Are Still Profiting From Industries in Europe

01.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Jason Corcoran

The Northern Sea Route Is Risky – and Russia Is Not Prepared

31.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Vselovod levchenko

Russian Exiles in Europe Face a Catch-22

30.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Dan Storyev

Negotiations Are Not Ending the Ukraine War – They Are Extending It

27.03.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Elena Davlikanova

For Russians in Europe, Being Quietly Anti-War Is No Longer Enough

25.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Andrei Pivovarov

Here's Why Cuba Remains Russia’s Foothold on Washington’s Doorstep

Russia's quest for a post-American world is being stress-tested in the Western Hemisphere more than anywhere else. Here, far from Moscow's...

24.03.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Emanuel Pietrobon

Russia’s New Law Redefines Which Languages Can Exist in Public Space

A new Russian law regulating public signage may appear to be a minor administrative change. But in practice, the move will further marginalize...

23.03.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Khandama tudebei

Why High Oil Prices Won't Fix Russia's Budget Crisis

The pressure on Russia’s finances has grown so acute that even a sustained surge in oil prices driven by turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz will not be...

19.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Sergei Shelin

Russia Is Failing Its Allies When It Matters Most

The war in Iran, and especially the quick decapitation of the country’s leadership structure, has been a swift, remarkable display of American power...

17.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Casey Michel

Russia's Censorship Laws Are Killing Its Pop Culture

Let’s say you decided to become a writer or musician in Russia in 2026. If you hope that your book or album will be accepted by a publisher or label...

16.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Andrey sapozhnikov

We’re Entering a World Run by Trump and Putin’s Rules

The second Trump administration’s surge of interventionism has sent shockwaves across the globe.To Moscow, watching from the sidelines, this is...

12.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Daniele Stracquadanio

Moscow's Lavish Spending Has Become a Political Problem

Leonid Brezhnev once said in 1981 that “the economy must be economical.” That sentiment is back in vogue — modesty is becoming fashionable...

10.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Tatyana Rybakova

Russia’s Investments in Iran At Risk, Regardless of War’s Outcome

American and Israeli strikes on Iran could not have come as a surprise to Russia. The Twelve-Day War and subsequent developments made it clear that a...

09.03.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Nikita Smagin

Russia’s Scientists Were an Asset to the Kremlin. Then They Became ‘Undesirable.’

The Russian-speaking Academic Science Association, RASA, was proclaimed an "undesirable" organization by the Russian government. To...

06.03.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Alexandra Borissova Saleh

"Mr. Nobody Against Putin" Doesn't Settle for Easy Answers. That's Important.

When Pavel Talankin answered a social media post looking for volunteers to share how the war changed their lives, he became the reluctant chronicler...

04.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Pippa Crawford

Russia's War on Ukraine Isn't at a Stalemate. That Encourages Escalation.

This article was originally published by the International Institue for Strategic Studies. The fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has...

03.03.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Nigel Gould-Davies

As Manpower Shortages Deepen, Russia Recruits Foreign Women for War

Women are now among the thousands of migrants from Central Asia serving in Russia’s military, including on the front lines in Ukraine. The Uzbek...

02.03.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Jennifer G. Mathers

Once a Critical Partner, the Ayatollah's Fall Looks To Have Minimal Fallout for Russia’s War

With United States and Israeli missiles over Iranian skies and much of the Islamic Republic’s leadership already eliminated, the implications of the...

01.03.2026 60

The Moscow Times

Nicholas Castillo

Shaman Disrespected the Sacred Lake Baikal. But It Faces Ecological Catastrophe, Too.

Yaroslav Dronov, the controversial Russian singer who goes by the stagename Shaman, posted a video on social media in which he licks the ice of Lake...

26.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Viktoria Maladaeva

70 Years After the Secret Speech, Russia Is Still Reckoning With Stalin

Seventy years ago today, on Feb. 25 1956, then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev took to the podium in Moscow’s Palace of Congresses and spoke for...

25.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Polly Jones

The Abnormal Normality of the Ukraine War Enters its Fifth Year

On the fourth grim anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, it is impossible to deny the mark the war has left on Ukrainians. In our eyes,...

24.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Elena Davlikanova

I Was Working for Russian State Media When the Kremlin Invaded Ukraine. This Is What I Remember.

The author of this article asked to remain anonymous because Russian law criminalizes writing for “undesirable” organizations like The Moscow...

24.02.2026 20

The Moscow Times

An Anonymous Writer In Russia

The Gulag History Museum Is Gone. But its Lessons Remain.

News of the liquidation of the Gulag History Museum in Moscow was long-awaited and sad. But the announcement that it will be replaced with a museum of...

23.02.2026 80

The Moscow Times

Irina Mak

Moscow's De-Dollarization Dreams Meet Pragmatic Reality

For years, the Kremlin has thundered that the age of the dollar was ending. The greenback was a weapon, we were told — an instrument of pernicious...

20.02.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Jason Corcoran

The Ukraine War Has Tied Russia's Elites Closer to the Kremlin

It isn't difficult to identify the main beneficiary of the past two and a half decades of the Kremlin regime. The country’s entire economy and...

19.02.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Vladislav Inozemtsev

What I Learned Speaking Face to Face with a Fellow Political Prisoner and Artist

Pavel Krisevich once handcuffed himself to the fence of the Russian district court and sat dressed as a prisoner trapped in a ball made of barbed...

18.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Sasha Skochilenko

Resisting the Kremlin's Communication Crackdown Requires New Thinking

Russian authorities have launched yet another attack against the free internet throttling Telegram and WhatsApp. YouTube already lies vanquished. ...

17.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Boris Bondarev

We Need to Talk About Russia’s Arctic Information Offensive

At Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø, The American Sunlight Project (ASP) and the Bellona Foundation shared new evidence on how Russia communicates about...

13.02.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Benjamin Shultz

The U.S. and Russian Militaries Are Talking Again. Will it Make a Difference?

12.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Kevin Ryan

The U.S. and Russian Militaries Are Talking Again. Will That Make a Difference?

11.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Kevin Ryan

Putin Is Battling Inflation – But Sacrificing Russia’s Economy

10.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Sergei Shelin

Nuclear Arms Control Was Eroding Long Before New START's Expiration

06.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Boris Bondarev

The Failed Energy Truce Shows Why a Quick Peace in Ukraine Would Not Last

05.02.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Elena Davlikanova

Moscow's Domodedovo Airport Dispute Epitomizes Russian Capitalism

03.02.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Tatyana Rybakova

Russia’s Extreme Winter Storms Are a Climate Wake-Up Call the Kremlin Is Ignoring

02.02.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Vitaly Servetnik