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Japan Must Stop Its Embarrassing Embrace of Kremlin Cultural Projects

Japan Must Stop Its Embarrassing Embrace of Kremlin Cultural Projects

On May 11, Mikhail Shvydkoy, President Vladimir Putin’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, took to the stage at...

previous day 9

The Moscow Times

James Brown

Putin Dishes Out Economic Warfare – But Can't Take It

Putin Dishes Out Economic Warfare – But Can't Take It

Armenians go to the polls in a crucial election this Sunday, which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has positioned as a plebiscite on his agenda of...

thursday 9

The Moscow Times

Maximilian Hess

Normalizing Relations With Belarus Would Be a Mistake

Normalizing Relations With Belarus Would Be a Mistake

In recent months, some leading figures in the Belarusian opposition in exile have suggested that the West re-engage with the dictatorial regime of...

03.06.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Arkady Moshes

Reports of Russia's Collapse Are Greatly Exaggerated

Reports of Russia's Collapse Are Greatly Exaggerated

Russia is waging a war against its neighbor. Its economy is overheated and dependent on the continuing conflict, while the country is rapidly growing...

02.06.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Dan Storyev

The Kremlin Fears Academics Because They're Antithetical to Autocracy

The Kremlin Fears Academics Because They're Antithetical to Autocracy

On May 19, Russian law enforcement arrived at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and interrogated several...

29.05.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Alexandra Borissova Saleh

As the World Speculates, Here's What Russians Are Actually Talking About

As the World Speculates, Here's What Russians Are Actually Talking About

A number of recent polls from Russia provided good headlines and academic discussion about public mood inside the country. Some show President...

27.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

An Anonymous Writer In Russia

Central Asia Is Done With Letting Moscow Write Its History

At a meeting of the Kyrgyz-Russian Expert Council on History in Moscow, Russian scholars reviewing Kyrgyz secondary school textbooks reprimanded their...

26.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Erica marat

To Be Truly Democratic, Russia’s Opposition Must Learn to Accept Scrutiny

Recent revelations surrounding political commentator Fyodor Krasheninnikov have sparked outrage across the Russian-speaking internet and reminded me...

25.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Ramazan alpaut

Playing by the Rules Won't Protect Russian Business Owners From the Kremlin's Shakedown

From now on, no Russian businessman is safe from the beggar’s plate or prison. That is the conclusion one can draw from the news that came in last...

21.05.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Tatyana Rybakova

Russia Wants Armenia Back in the Fold. It May Be Too Late.

Years of slowly growing tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have crescendoed in recent weeks as Armenia prepares for national elections on June 7. The...

20.05.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Nicholas Castillo

Russia's Extraordinary Route to North Korea Shows the Limits of Moscow's Arctic Shipping Dreams

In December 2024, a Russian-flagged ship called the Ursa Major, whose itinerary claimed it would be sailing from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok,...

19.05.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Emily Ferris

Political Repression Is a Numbers Game in Russia

Repression in today’s Russia is not on par with the mass repression of the country’s past. Nevertheless, it fulfills the same function by...

18.05.2026 10

The Moscow Times

Ivan astashin

Regions Calling: Dagestan's Tourism Boom Is a Recipe for Colonialist Exploitation

Hello and welcome to Regions Calling, your guide to developments beyond the Russian capital from The Moscow Times. This week, we invited Zarema...

15.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Zarema gasanova

Kremlin Elites Have No Way to Remove Putin, Even if They Wanted to

The war against Ukraine initially came as a shock to Russia’s elites. No one anticipated the impact on their businesses and personal wealth, let...

14.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Boris Bondarev

Should the Russian Diaspora Have Their Own Schools?

The bankruptcy of Le Sallеy, a small school for fewer than 100 pupils based out of a French chateau but managed from Massachusetts, went viral on the...

13.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Sergey Chernyshov

While the World Watches Iran, Ukraine Is Seizing the Initiative

Since the start of the war in Iran, conventional wisdom says that Russia has enjoyed a windfall from soaring oil prices so great that it has...

12.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Casey Michel

Russia's Worship of War Comes With its Own Idolatry

For over a century, the authorities in Russia have been trying to create a new faith, an “opium of the people” to keep the country in line. First,...

11.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Valery Panyushkin

As Russia Celebrates Victory Day, Security Is a Facade For Censorship

When Russians found themselves unable to use venting machines, book taxis or even withdraw cash from some ATMs on May 5, the Digital Development...

10.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Sarkis Darbinyan

As Celebrates Victory Day, Security Is a Facade For Censorship

When Russians found themselves unable to use venting machines, book taxis or even withdraw cash from some ATMs on May 5, the Digital Development...

09.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Sarkis Darbinyan

It's Not Too Late to Cure the Madness of Putin’s Victory Day

American soldiers march through Red Square. The U.S. never had much of a parade tradition, so it’s more of a stroll. British troops fare much...

09.05.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Dan Storyev

Russia’s Opposition Doesn’t Know How to Quit Kremlin-Style Chauvinism

The suspension of Ruslan Kutayev from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic...

07.05.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Ramazan alpaut

Why an Official's Flight to the West 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...

05.05.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Kevin Riehle

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...

04.05.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Kevin Riehle

The Kremlin Fiddles While Tuapse Burns

30.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Vladimir Slivyak

40 Years Later, Chernobyl Remains a Lesson in the Unthinkable

26.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Charles Digges

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

24.04.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Dalibor Rohac

The Paradox of Prosecuting Russian Criminals

23.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Sergey Golubok

Russia's Blasphemy Laws Are Just Kremlin Censorship in Disguise

22.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Lucy Ash

Dudayev’s Legacy Still Resonates 30 Years After His Assassination

21.04.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Harold Chambers

Influencers Versus Putin? What a Farce!

20.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Anton Starikov

Russia and North Korea’s Propaganda Partnership Is Taking Shape

16.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Anthony V. Rinna

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

15.04.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Vasily burov

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

13.04.2026 20

The Moscow Times

Juuso eskonmaa

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

08.04.2026 40

The Moscow Times

An Anonymous Writer In Russia

How the Kremlin Is Considering Cracking Down on Financial Freedom

07.04.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Tatyana Rybakova

Russia Is Redefining Genocide for Political Purposes

06.04.2026 30

The Moscow Times

Arshak Makichyan

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

02.04.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Dmitry Gorchakov

Sanctioned Russian Tycoons Are Still Profiting From Industries in Europe

01.04.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Jason Corcoran

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

31.03.2026 50

The Moscow Times

Vselovod levchenko

Russian Exiles in Europe Face a Catch-22

30.03.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Dan Storyev

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

27.03.2026 40

The Moscow Times

Elena Davlikanova

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

25.03.2026 40

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 30

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 30

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 40

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 40

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 50

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 40

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 40

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 50

The Moscow Times

Nikita Smagin