Russia
“Literacy is a clean window onto the world...”
100 years since formation of Soviet Extraordinary Commission for the Liquidation of Illiteracy
By Patrick O’Connor, 8 July 2020
The Soviet literacy campaign remains the largest and most successful in world history.
The vote on the constitutional amendments in Russia:
Kremlin pushes to massively strengthen power of the president
By Vladimir Volkov and Clara Weiss, 3 July 2020
On July 1, a seven-day long vote on constitutional changes first proposed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in January, was concluded.
The New York Times fabricates Russian murder plot
By Patrick Martin, 3 July 2020
The Washington frenzy against Russia has been triggered by a lying propaganda campaign initiated by the New York Times.
Anti-Russia war fever spreads on Capitol Hill
By Patrick Martin, 1 July 2020
Without providing a shred of evidence, the corporate media, congressional Democrats and many Republicans are demanding US retaliation against alleged Russian targeting of US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Another anti-Russian smear from the New York Times
By Patrick Martin, 29 June 2020
The front-page article claiming the Russian government offered “bounties” for the killing of American soldiers in Afghanistan offers not a single fact to support its charges.
The Salisbury Poisonings: Skripal drama framed as anti-Russian propaganda
By Thomas Scripps, 27 June 2020
The BBC’s three-part The Salisbury Poisonings uses drama as state propaganda and is designed to reignite the Skripal affair that dominated UK politics in 2018.
Beset by crisis, Kremlin holds “victory parade”
By Clara Weiss, 25 June 2020
The parade and the reopening of the economy have been timed to precede by one week the national referendum on constitutional changes proposed by Putin earlier this year.
India-China conflict threatens to undermine Russian foreign policy
By Clara Weiss, 23 June 2020
While the US has intervened aggressively on the side of India, Russia sees the clash as a challenge to its geo-strategy and is seeking to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
Moscow court sentences ex-US Marine to 16 years for espionage
By Clara Weiss, 18 June 2020
The case of Paul Whelan, which has unfolded against the background of heightened military tensions between the US and Russia and a hysterical anti-Russia campaign in the US media, is extremely murky.
Washington steps up strategic bomber flights threatening Russia, China
By Alex Lantier, 12 June 2020
As social anger grows over police brutality and the COVID-19 pandemic, the danger that the ruling elite will try to suppress class conflict with external wars is rising.
Russia’s ruling class nervous over spreading global protests
By Andrea Peters, 10 June 2020
The Kremlin’s seeming smugness over the crisis gripping the United States seeks to mask deep-seated fears that similar mass protests could erupt in Russia.
Over 20,000 tons of diesel spilled in Russian Arctic river
By Clara Weiss, 6 June 2020
The catastrophe on the Ambarnaya underlies the dangers bound up with the “new scramble for the Arctic” by the major powers and corporations.
Sweeping attacks on migrant workers in Russia amid COVID-19 pandemic
By Andrea Peters, 3 June 2020
The Russian government is considering the creation of a vast database that contains foreign workers’ biometric information, health histories, legal and “social” status, and criminal records.
Coronavirus cases surpass six million globally
By Bryan Dyne, 30 May 2020
New epicenters in Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent are rapidly causing massive public health crises.
Russia’s right-wing opposition tries to gain from COVID-19 crisis
By Andrea Peters, 29 May 2020
As President Vladimir Putin’s poll numbers fall to historically low levels, right-wing opposition leader Alexei Navalny seeks to present himself as a defender of health care workers and “the people.”
Nearly 1,200 workers contract COVID-19 at remote Siberian goldmine
By Andrea Peters, 26 May 2020
About 20 percent of the workforce at the Olimpiada mining and processing plant, which is owned by the 24-year-old son of a Russian oligarch, have contracted coronavirus.
US withdraws from Open Skies Treaty, heightening danger of war with Russia
By Clara Weiss, 22 May 2020
US withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty is a deliberate escalation of military tensions not only with Russia, but also with the major European imperialist powers.
US prepares anti-Russian war games amid COVID-19 pandemic
By Andrea Peters, 21 May 2020
In a little over two weeks, 6,000 US and Polish troops will simulate ground and airborne attacks about 35 miles from the Russian territory of Kaliningrad.
The policy of “malign neglect”: How the Russian oligarchy sacrifices the health and lives of the people
By Vladimir Volkov and Clara Weiss, 19 May 2020
The government’s policy of malign neglect has provoked an initial upsurge in opposition from the working class, including Gazprom workers in Yakutia, northern Russia.
Russia ends federal COVID-19 shutdown measures as it surges to second place in infections worldwide
By Andrea Peters, 15 May 2020
There are now more coronavirus infections in Russia than anywhere else in the world, with the exception of the United States and Spain.
Russian court keeps historian of Stalinist massacres jailed amid COVID-19 outbreak
By Clara Weiss, 12 May 2020
The vendetta against Dmitriev is part of the campaign by Russia’s state and ruling oligarchy to suppress all efforts to uncover the truth about the crimes of Stalinism.
Russian COVID-19 cases rise, as 750,000 join unemployment rolls
By Andrea Peters, 8 May 2020
Layoffs are spreading in Russia, as the country surpasses France and Germany in total coronavirus infections.
Russia: Two ministers, one deputy test positive for COVID as workers’ protests grow
By Clara Weiss, 2 May 2020
Just one day after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was hospitalized for COVID-19, the minister for construction, housing and communal services and his deputy also tested positive.
Russian workers protest animal-like conditions at oil field as prime minister hospitalized with COVID-19
By Andrea Peters, 1 May 2020
Hundreds demonstrated against Gazprom at a Siberian oil field, demanding safe working conditions and proper care for sick workers
Coronavirus sweeps through Russian medical facilities
By Andrea Peters, 25 April 2020
Hospitals and clinics in several cities have been placed under quarantine, as COVID-19 infects staff and patients alike.
Last-minute deal on oil production cuts
By Nick Beams, 13 April 2020
The fear was that had an agreement not been reached the oil price would have crashed when trading opened today, after already dropping by 40 percent since the beginning of March.
Russia’s workers sent back to factories as coronavirus continues to spread
By Andrea Peters, 10 April 2020
Industrial and manufacturing enterprises are reopening in Russia, even as thousands of new infections are reported daily.
Amid war threats, Washington blocks UN resolution demanding end to sanctions
By Bill Van Auken, 4 April 2020
The Trump administration has brushed aside calls for an end to punishing sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, threatening both countries with military aggression.
Russian doctors, nurses protest against horrifying conditions in hospitals
By Clara Weiss, 4 April 2020
Nurses and doctors have walked off their jobs, pleading for medical and personal protective equipment, and renovations of dilapidated hospital buildings.
Russian cases of coronavirus surge as economic crisis hits
By Clara Weiss, 23 March 2020
The Russian oligarchy is promoting nationalism and xenophobia and pushing for greater surveillance and dictatorial measures, as social tensions are set to escalate over the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic.
Russia’s coronavirus cases double in two days, as Ukraine reports first death
By Andrea Peters, 14 March 2020
COVID-19 is spreading in Russia and Ukraine, as the governments impose bans on travel and public gatherings.
As oil prices plunge and coronavirus spreads, Russian oligarchy seeks to keep Putin in power indefinitely
By Clara Weiss, 12 March 2020
The Russian ruling class is trying to prepare for massive social and political unrest.
Coronavirus destabilises Saudi Arabia
By Jean Shaoul, 10 March 2020
The Saudi announcement to slash oil prices led to a sharp fall in the share prices of its national oil company Saudi Aramco and Russia’s Rosneft.
Canada “at war” with Russia, high-level Ottawa conference told
By Roger Jordan, 9 March 2020
Canada’s Deputy Defence Minister told the conference that the Liberals’ 2017 National Defence Policy has been superseded by the surge in great-power strategic competition.
Putin and Erdogan agree to new Idlib ceasefire at Moscow summit on Syria
By Jordan Shilton, 6 March 2020
Despite both sides’ efforts to smooth over the conflicts, the ceasefire does not resolve the broader NATO-Russia conflicts behind recent Turkish-Russian clashes in Syria.
Coronavirus hits Russia as further news emerges of healthcare system in crisis
By Andrea Peters, 3 March 2020
A man returning from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus in Moscow on the same day that a federal audit revealed that thousands of the country’s healthcare facilities for children lack running water, heat, and sewage systems.
Idlib war escalates as Turkey announces military operations against Syria
By Ulas Atesci, 2 March 2020
Turkey shot down two Syrian jets after a Syrian air strike claimed the lives of 34 Turkish soldiers.
War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 29 February 2020
Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.
Russia seeks to ease tensions with Belarus over energy dispute
By Andrea Peters, 25 February 2020
Russia will compensate Belarus $300 million to offset energy price hikes, as Moscow works to preserve its alliance with Minsk.
Fighting mounts as Washington backs Turkish attack on Syria, Russia
By Alex Lantier, 21 February 2020
US-backed Turkish military operations targeting Syrian and Russian units in Syria could escalate into an all-out clash between Russia and the entire NATO alliance.
US slaps sanctions on Russian oil company trading with Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 20 February 2020
The unilateral sanctions are aimed at tightening the US blockade of Venezuela’s crisis-ridden economy.
Russian state frame-up results in draconian prison sentences for left-wing youth
By Clara Weiss, 19 February 2020
Under conditions of staggering social inequality and rising class tensions, the harsh punishment is aimed at intimidating all opposition to the Russian state from the left.
Hundreds of thousands denied pensions in Russia
By Andrea Peters, 12 February 2020
The effect of Russia’s 2018 pension reform is becoming clear, with 800,000 people who would have met the age requirement to receive funds no longer eligible.
Russian-Belarusian energy talks fail as Minsk moves closer to the US, NATO
By Clara Weiss, 11 February 2020
The recent flaring up of tensions is taking place as the US is aggressively escalating its push toward drawing Minsk into its orbit.
Lavrov tours Latin America as Pentagon brands Russia, China as “malign actors”
By Bill Van Auken, 5 February 2020
Lavrov’s three-nation visit to Latin America comes on the heels of a tour of former Soviet republics by US Secretary of State Pompeo dedicated to denouncing Russia and China.
NATO exercise Defender 2020: Germany serves as military base for build-up against Russia
By Martin Nowak, 4 February 2020
For the first time in its history, the alliance is practicing the deployment from the US to eastern Europe of an entire division of 20,000 soldiers.
Kremlin appoints new cabinet
By Andrea Peters, 28 January 2020
The turnover in the Russian government was concentrated in ministries responsible for domestic affairs
US troops confront Russian convoy near Syrian oil fields
By Bill Van Auken, 23 January 2020
Washington is occupying Syrian oil fields to deny resources to Damascus and continue its drive for regime change.
Russian Duma approves new prime minister
By Clara Weiss, 20 January 2020
Putin and sections of the Russian oligarchy regard Mishustin as better equipped than former Prime Minister Medvedev to carry out major attacks on the working class and to facilitate a closing of ranks in the ruling class.
Russian government resigns after Putin’s state of the nation address
By Clara Weiss, 16 January 2020
The resignation of the widely unpopular Russian government comes amid mounting social conflict and escalating war tensions between the US and Iran which threaten to draw in the entire South Caucasus region and Russia itself.
Kremlin maintains muted response to Suleimani assassination, insists on Iran nuclear deal
By Clara Weiss, 15 January 2020
An open war against Iran is likely to spread directly to the border of Russia, enflaming not only the entire Middle East but also the South Caucasus.
Erdoğan and Putin open TurkStream pipeline after Iran strikes US bases in Iraq
By Ulaş Ateşci, 11 January 2020
The opening of this strategic pipeline comes amid escalating conflicts over energy in the region and an esclalating conflict between the United States and Iran.
Russia, Ukraine reach last minute gas transit deal
By Jason Melanovski, 4 January 2020
The EU pushed for the Ukraine and Russia to accept a deal following the US announcement of sanctions against the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2.
The impeachment crisis and US war plans against Russia
By Andre Damon, 31 December 2019
The ferocity with which the entire US national security apparatus responded to a temporary delay in sending anti-tank missiles and radar to Ukraine raises the question: Is there a timetable for using these weapons in combat against Russia?
The US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the danger of World War III
By Peter Schwarz, 31 December 2019
The decision by the US Congress to impose sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline underscores the danger of world war.
Iran, Russia and China hold joint naval drills in Indian Ocean amid US war threats
By Alex Lantier, 30 December 2019
The exercises are a signal that a US-led war targeting Iran could rapidly escalate into a global conflict involving the major nuclear powers.
Erdogan vows to send Turkish troops into Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 27 December 2019
The Turkish deployment in Libya will escalate increasing tensions involving Washington, Moscow and NATO.
German government condemns US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 pipeline
By Johannes Stern, 23 December 2019
The temporary halt to construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has dramatically intensified tensions between the United States and the European powers.
Vadim Rogovin’s Bolsheviks against Stalinism 1928–1933: Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition
A magnificent account of Stalin’s opponents in the USSR
By Andrea Peters, 21 December 2019
Stalin’s rise was neither foreordained nor a natural outgrowth of the October Revolution. The Great Russian chauvinist and bureaucrat secured power in ferocious conflict with the proletariat, peasantry and cadre of the revolutionary socialist movement.
US to impose sanctions on companies involved in European Nord Stream 2 pipeline
By Peter Schwarz, 13 December 2019
The sanctions against the joint Russian-Western Europe energy project underscores just how conflict-riven the relations between the members of the world's largest military alliance are.
New doping provocation against Russia prior to 2020 Olympics
By Kevin Reed, 12 December 2019
A four-year ban has been imposed on Russian athletes participating in international competition, including the upcoming Summer Olympics in 2020 and Winter Olympics in 2022.
Canadian government-sponsored Security Forum rails against “strategic adversaries” China and Russia
By Roger Jordan and Keith Jones, 27 November 2019
Trump’s National Security Adviser demanded Canada massively hike military spending, restrict Huawei, and militarize the Arctic to counter China and Russia.
France to host “peace summit” with Germany, Ukraine and Russia
By Clara Weiss, 19 November 2019
The summit is part of the effort of French and German imperialism to play a bigger role in Eastern Europe as tensions with the US are rising.
On the death of Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky (1942–2019)
By Clara Weiss, 19 November 2019
An understanding of Bukovsky’s life and role in politics over the past half century must be placed within the broader context of the development of the October Revolution of 1917 and the Stalinist reaction against it.
Former US Secretary of State Kissinger points to danger of “catastrophic” conflict between US and China
By Nick Beams, 16 November 2019
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned of an inevitable “conflict” between the US and China that “will be worse than the world wars that ruined European civilisation.”
Tens of thousands in Russia face medicine shortages as a result of Western sanctions
By David Levine, 12 November 2019
Between April and August 2019, two women from Moscow and one from Yekaterinburg were temporarily arrested and charged for illegally obtaining unregistered medicine.
Russia: At least 15 dead, five missing after illegal dam breaks in Siberia
By Clara Weiss, 22 October 2019
Both the dam and the construction of the shelters for the workers on the Seiba river near the village Shchetikino were in flagrant violation of the law and basic safety measures.
Russia, Ukraine carry out high-profile prisoner exchange
By Jason Melanovski, 14 September 2019
The prisoner exchange was strongly backed by France and Germany with media reports suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron, in particular, played a central role.
New York Times: Main source for anti-Russia campaign may have been a “double agent”
By Andre Damon, 11 September 2019
The latest allegation reported by the New York Times Is a further exposure of the Democrats’ concocted claims of Russian “subversion” of the US political system.
Russia: Stalinist and far-right candidates win with backing from Navalny
By Clara Weiss, 11 September 2019
The Western media has desperately tried to conceal the right-wing character of the political forces that have made gains in the elections in Moscow and Khabarovsk.
Alexei Navalny, with backing of Russian Pabloites, shifts toward support for Stalinist KPRF
By Clara Weiss, 9 September 2019
Navalny, a right-wing stooge of US imperialism, is turning toward an alliance with those most experienced in politically disorienting the working class: the Stalinists and the Pabloites.
Russia and Turkey intensify military cooperation over US objections
By Ulas Atesci, 4 September 2019
Turkish purchases of Russian missiles and possibly fighter jets are fuelling tensions between Turkey and its imperialist allies in Washington and Europe.
Russia launches floating nuclear power plant amid new “scramble for the Arctic”
By Clara Weiss, 27 August 2019
The launching of the Akademik Lomonosov platform is part of an effort by the Kremlin to significantly expand its infrastructure in the region.
US escalates preparations for nuclear war with Russia and China
By Andre Damon, 23 August 2019
After withdrawing from the INF treaty, the US is accelerating its preparations to fight a nuclear war with China or Russia by testing and stockpiling dangerous new weapons in a nuclear arms race.
Macron-Putin meeting before G7 summit highlights global geopolitical conflicts
By Will Morrow, 23 August 2019
The meeting took place in the context of increasing calls centered in Paris and Berlin for the European Union to develop its capabilities to wage wars independently of the United States.
Questions continue over Russian nuclear accident
By Andrea Peters, 17 August 2019
The dangers associated with the rapidly accelerating global arms race are clear, even as questions remain over the nature of the nuclear explosion that occurred in Russia’s far north last week.
Explosions at Russian military facilities leave eight dead
By Andrea Peters, 13 August 2019
Bound up with the accelerating global arms race, blasts at a nuclear weapons testing facility in Russia’s far north and an ammunitions depot in Siberia have injured dozens.
Over 50,000 join opposition protests in Moscow
By Clara Weiss, 12 August 2019
While the ongoing crackdown against the opposition must be opposed, workers and youth must be warned about the right-wing character of the political forces behind the protests.
Russian authorities continue crackdown on opposition protests
By Clara Weiss, 5 August 2019
The violent crackdown on protests by the “liberal” opposition is aimed at intimidating all government opposition and preparing for the suppression of widespread resistance by the working class.
US scrapping of INF treaty heightens threat of nuclear war
By Bill Van Auken, 3 August 2019
The formal abrogation of the treaty declared on Friday sets the stage for the testing and deployment of medium-range missiles against both Russia and China.
1,300 arrested in police crackdown on liberal opposition in Russia
By Clara Weiss, 29 July 2019
The crackdown testifies to the extreme nervousness of the Kremlin and was meant as a show of force and a demonstration of the state’s readiness to violently repress any opposition, above all opposition coming from the working class.
Dangerous encounter of warplanes from four nations over Sea of Japan
By Ben McGrath, 25 July 2019
While the US was not directly involved, its aggressive military buildup in Asia created the conditions for the aerial standoff.
Beanpole (Dylda): Disturbing scenes of postwar Soviet life
By Clara Weiss, 17 July 2019
Russian director Kantemir Balagov’s film treats the damaged lives of two young women who have just returned to Leningrad (today St. Petersburg) from the front after the end of the Second World War.
Russian navy officer: Fire on Russian nuclear submarine could have led to “planetary catastrophe”
By Clara Weiss, 12 July 2019
A Russian newspaper reported that the cause of the fire on the Losharik was an electrical short-circuit that led to an explosion and spontaneous combustion of a lithium-ion battery that had been installed on the submarine.
Fourteen high-ranking Russian navy officers die in fire on nuclear-powered submarine
By Clara Weiss, 5 July 2019
The submarine disaster is a chilling reminder of the advanced state of the preparations for world war.
The Command (Kursk): A dramatization of the 2000 Russian nuclear submarine disaster
By Joanne Laurier, 4 July 2019
The Kursk’s sinking was bound up with both the decay of the Russian military and the catastrophic impact of Russian capitalism.
Russian-Georgian tensions escalate amid Iran war crisis
By Clara Weiss, 29 June 2019
The Western-backed anti-Russian protests in Tiflis are bound up with the escalating US war drive against Iran, which threatens to draw in the entire Caucasus region.
Destroyed 1923 pamphlet on Red Army, commissioned by Trotsky, reprinted in Russia
By Clara Weiss, 27 June 2019
The reprint makes available, after almost 100 years, an important historical document, the fate of which reflects the violent repression by Stalinism of genuine Marxist thought and politics, represented within the Soviet Union by Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition.
Destroyed 1923 pamphlet on Red Army, commissioned by Trotsky, reprinted in Russia
By Clara Weiss, 26 June 2019
The reprint makes available, after almost 100 years, an important historical document whose fate reflects the violent repression by Stalinism of genuine Marxist thought and politics, represented within the Soviet Union by Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition.
Four men charged with murder based on bogus MH-17 investigation
By Clara Weiss, 24 June 2019
Charges against pro-Moscow separatists were laid based on an “investigation” influenced by the Ukrainian regime, that produced no proof of Russian involvement in downing flight MH-17.
“Unfortunately, none of this happened”: Kirill Serebrennikov’s Leto (Summer), a take on the pre- perestroika period in the USSR
By Clara Weiss, 14 June 2019
Serebrennikov’s new film treats two of Russia’s most famous rock groups, Kino and Zoopark, in the early 1980s, while managing to avoid all the major questions of the time.
Russian journalist Ivan Golunov released after campaign against his arrest
By Clara Weiss, 12 June 2019
While supporting the US-led persecution of Julian Assange, Western media and politicians, as part of their campaign for regime change in Moscow, decried the arrest of Golunov.
US and Russian warships nearly collide in the Philippine Sea
By Kevin Reed, 8 June 2019
In an encounter coinciding with a visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a US warship nearly collided with a Russian destroyer on Friday in the Philippine Sea.
At least 116 injured in Russia factory explosions
By Clara Weiss, 4 June 2019
The blasts at the factory, which produces explosives for the Russian military, shattered windows in hundreds of buildings over a radius of at least 3 kilometers.
Russian health care workers protest over wages and staffing
By Andrea Peters, 31 May 2019
Part of a wave of ongoing protests against the deplorable state of public health services in Russia, workers in Penza oblast staged a “work-to-rule” strike in late May.
Russia: 98 arrested in opposition-led protests in Yekaterinburg
By Clara Weiss, 18 May 2019
The protests are led by right-wing nationalist forces aligned with Alexei Navalny’s US-backed liberal opposition.
The social crisis and the global eruption of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 9 May 2019
Washington’s brazen and reckless military threats and provocations on a world scale are driven by deep-going social and political crises within the US itself.
Up to 400,000 jobs threatened as US sanctions deepen crisis of Russian auto industry
By Clara Weiss, 2 May 2019
In mid-April, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska declared that the Russian auto company GAZ might declare bankruptcy, wiping out hundreds of thousands of manufacturing and related jobs.
Defying US threats, Turkey vows to deploy Russian air-defence system
By Keith Jones, 12 April 2019
In a New York Times op-ed, senior Democratic and Republican leaders have signaled bipartisan Congressional support for the Trump administration’s threats to roil Turkey’s economy if it deploys the S-400.
“Independent” union in Russia facilitates closure of Ford factory
By Clara Weiss, 8 April 2019
The Inter-Regional Trade Union Workers’ Alliance (MPRA) has blocked opposition to the US-based auto giant’s plans to close three factories and exit the passenger car market.
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