Russia Monitor Articles
Conclusions From Rallies In Support of Navalny
Russia is seeing an unprecedented wave of street rallies after the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, the only surprising feature of Saturday’s (January 23) events. Neither a harsh reaction from the country’s authorities nor the Kremlin’s narrative on the protests, lambasting Washington for staging the demonstrations, came as a surprise.
Russian Siloviki Warn Against “Color Revolution”
Russia’s interior ministry said the country might see attempts to destabilize the domestic situation as was the case in neighboring Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. This is linked to the arrest of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny who urged his supporters to hit the streets.
Navalny Takes Revenge Releasing Investigation Into Putin Palace
Kremlin officials dismiss the viral video released by Navalny’s non-profit foundation alleging an opulent palace owned by the Russian president. Yet with an extremely nervous reaction from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, one might guess that Russia’s number one political prisoner struck a chord with Russian officials
Bad Year for Russian Crude Exports
With the price war that broke out in the spring of 2020 and the coronavirus-induced global economic slowdown, the Russian energy sector could not label the past year as successful. Revenues from oil exports dropped by 40.9 percent year-on-year between January and November 2020, according to data from Russia’s Federal Customs Service (FTS).
Why Navalny Returned to Russia
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny flew back to Russia from Germany, as earlier announced. He has been detained upon landing in Moscow. Now Navalny is likely to serve a long term in prison. But the whole story is not over yet, being rather the beginning of Navalny’s way to the top.
Nord Stream 2 Proponents Go On The Offensive
Business activities are now in place to complete the Russia-to-Germany gas link while being a political cover for the stance adopted by Germany and Russia. An example might be an interview with Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who defended Putin’s regime while accusing Poland – one of the top dangerous Nord Stream 2 opponents – of nurturing authoritarian attitudes.
Russian Military Locked in African Trap
A civil war erupted in the Central African Republic, whose Russia-friendly president has recently won re-election after his top challenger was barred from running for office. In response, he formed a broad coalition of rebel groupings. Despite support from UN forces and a few hundred Russian troops, the government in Bangui is helpless against the enemy.
Russia Quits Open Skies Treaty, Leaves Message for Biden
Russia said that it was pulling out of the Open Skies Treaty, an international accord allowing surveillance flights over military facilities, after the U.S. exit from the pact in November 2020. The timing might not be incidental while being an attempt to exert pressure on the incoming Biden administration.
Russia’s FSB Gains New Privileges and Powers
The shameful failure of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in the infamous Navalny case did not disgrace the country’s domestic security agency. Quite the contrary; the Kremlin is well aware of the more vulnerable FSB prompting a weaker Putin’s regime, with the service being a top pillar of his tenure.
Russia Suffers Defeat at the OPEC+ Summit
A group of major oil producers, known as OPEC+, have agreed to keep production steady in February and March. Some nations will reduce output while Russia and Kazakhstan will see a slight increase in their respective crude production. However, the energy market will note fewer oil supplies amid Saudi Arabia’s decision to voluntarily cut its production. Moscow thus has failed to convince other members of the cartel to boost output.
Jihadi Militants Target Russian Military in Syria
Recent days have brought a series of attacks against Russian military personnel in Syria. What should cause Russia’s alarm is that the first incident happened in the country’s northeast, far from its major hotbed in Idlib province.
Russia’s New Military District, Zapad Drills As 2021 Priority
On December 21, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order whereby the Northern Fleet became the country’s fifth military-administrative entity from January 1, 2021. It encompasses the former area of the Western Military District.
Russia Gives Way to Turkey in the Caucasus
Dispatching the Turkish military to the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire monitoring center in the areas that Azerbaijan claimed from Armenia comes as Ankara’s success while being a failure for Moscow. Russia is making efforts to cover up its defeat with some vague statements that came after the meeting between the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers.
Russia, Germany Feel Determined to Complete Nord Stream 2
Neither the authors nor sponsors of the Baltic gas link seek to give up as Russia and Germany are making efforts to finish the Nord Stream 2 project roughly a year after the United States imposed sanctions on the project. The consortium completed laying pipes for the project in German waters several days after works had been resumed.
Warsaw Institute
