Russia
EU parliament calls for international investigation into alleged poisoning of Navalny
By Clara Weiss, 22 September 2020
The resolution represents a significant escalation of attempts by the European imperialist powers to destabilize the Putin regime and ratchet up tensions with Russia.
Russia’s opposition parties fail to win broad support in regional elections
By Andrea Peters, 19 September 2020
Kremlin-backed candidates held onto governorships and control of local parliamentary bodies in the 83 regions of the country where voting occurred.
Peace negotiations stall as ceasefire begins to fall apart in Ukraine
By Jason Melanovski, 19 September 2020
Ukraine’s far-right continues to oppose any negotiated settlement that could lead to the end of the six-year long civil war that has needlessly killed over 13,000.
Russia holds regional elections amidst growing political crisis
By Andrea Peters, 12 September 2020
Balloting in 83 regions ends Sunday, and Kremlin-backed candidates are facing challengers in a number of areas.
Lies in the Navalny case
By Peter Schwarz, 10 September 2020
The relationship between Germany and Russia has reached its lowest point since Berlin supported the pro-Western coup in Ukraine six years ago and Russia annexed Crimea.
Imperialist powers step up anti-Russia campaign over Navalny case and Belarus
By Clara Weiss, 8 September 2020
The campaign over Navalny is closely tied to the crisis in Belarus, in which Berlin and the EU are intervening more aggressively.
German imperialism and the strange case of Alexei Navalny
By Peter Schwarz, 5 September 2020
Politicians and media outlets in Western countries, and above all in Germany, have declared that Moscow is responsible for Navalny’s poisoning, and have escalated their calls for a confrontation with Russia.
The New York Times slanders left-wing opposition to Biden as “Russian propaganda”
By Patrick Martin, 3 September 2020
The American intelligence agencies are at it again, instigating anti-Russian propaganda in the US media with reckless and entirely unsubstantiated claims that Moscow is intervening in the 2020 presidential election.
The case of Alexei Navalny and the imperialist intervention in Russian politics
By Clara Weiss, 3 September 2020
While the circumstances of Navalny’s illness are still under investigation, his case has become a focal point for the intervention of the imperialist powers in Russian politics.
EU imposes sanctions on Lukashenko as strikes continue in Belarus
By Alex Lantier, 29 August 2020
The imposition of sanctions is a clumsy and hypocritical attempt to maximize the EU’s influence in Belarus amid growing working-class anger against the Belarusian ruling elite.
US and Russian military units clash in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 28 August 2020
The northeastern region of Syria has become a tinderbox after Washington revealed its plans to bring in a US company to exploit Syrian oil.
EU denounces Russia over alleged poisoning of oppositionist Alexei Navalny
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 26 August 2020
Doctors at Berlin’s Charité hospital claimed Monday they had found indications that Alexei Navalny, the head of Russia’s pro-NATO liberal opposition, was poisoned.
Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny flown to German hospital after doctors dispute poisoning claims
By Andrea Peters, 22 August 2020
Russian doctors declared Friday that Navalny’s critical illness was caused by a metabolic disorder brought on by hypoglycemia, not poisoning.
Amid mass strikes in Belarus, Lukashenko regime teeters on brink
By Andrea Peters, 18 August 2020
The critical question facing workers in Belarus is to struggle independently of and against all the factions of the post-Soviet capitalist kleptocracy.
Protests, strikes against Lukashenko regime mount in Belarus
By Clara Weiss, 17 August 2020
The involvement of growing sections of workers has panicked the Lukashenko regime, and the NATO-backed opposition is calling for “dialogue” with the regime.
The coronavirus pandemic and capitalism
Russia’s vaccine intensifies global struggle for profits and geopolitical advantage
By Barry Grey, 13 August 2020
Vladimir Putin’s announcement Tuesday that Russia has officially approved a COVID-19 vaccine has intensified the global conflict between national powers and pharmaceutical giants to be the first to mass produce and market a vaccine for the deadly virus.
Belarus arrests 33 Russian military contractors ahead of presidential elections
By Jason Melanovski, 7 August 2020
The arrest of 33 Russian military contractors in Belarus makes clear that the long-standing ally of Moscow has become a new hotspot in the growing conflict between the United States and Russia.
Pro-US liberal opposition promotes greater power for regional authorities in Russian protests
By Clara Weiss, 5 August 2020
The political intervention of the pro-US “liberal” opposition is aimed, above all, at turning sections of the upper-middle class and the oligarchy against Putin and winning them for a right-wing “palace coup.”
Record heatwave in Siberia and the burning danger of climate change
By Daniel Jakob, 31 July 2020
This year is the hottest in Siberia since measurements began 130 years ago. The record heatwave is an extreme consequence of global climate change.
Russian pseudo-left provides neo-Stalinist justification for vendetta against historian Yuri Dmitriev
By Clara Weiss, 29 July 2020
Boris Kagarlitsky’s website Rabkor has published a commentary justifying the frame-up of Dmitriev, who has done valuable work in exposing Stalin’s crimes.
Mass protests continue in Russian Far East
By Clara Weiss, 28 July 2020
Demonstrators expressed anger over social inequality and the federal government’s infringement of regional authorities and laws.
Britain’s Russia Report: Propaganda for authoritarianism and war
By Thomas Scripps, 23 July 2020
British politics is ever more closely mirroring US politics, where conflicts within the ruling class are fought out through the prism of anti-Russian hysteria, with anti-democratic and militarist implications.
US escalates economic warfare against Russia and China
By Nick Beams, 18 July 2020
After securing a decision by the UK government to ban the Chinese firm Huawei from its 5G rollout, the US is pressuring the Merkel government in Germany to take the same decision.
US pushes fabricated claims of Russian hacking of virus research
By Barry Grey, 18 July 2020
The United States is most nakedly pursuing a nationalistic course, aimed at enriching American oligarchs and deploying the vaccine not as a means to save lives, but as a weapon against countries in the crosshairs of US imperialism.
Tens of thousands protest in Russia’s far east after Kremlin removes governor
By Clara Weiss, 15 July 2020
Governor Furgal of the far-right LDPR was arrested by the FSB and charged with involvement in the murder of multiple businessmen.
The collapse of the New York Times’ “Russian bounties” campaign
By Patrick Martin, 10 July 2020
Less than two weeks after it kicked off a media frenzy, the Times published an editorial effectively conceding that there was no factual basis for its reporting that Russian military intelligence had paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers.
“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.
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