Brian Whitmore is the author of RFE/RL's popular Power Vertical blog, written especially for Russia wonks and obsessive Kremlin watchers, and the host of the weekly Power Vertical Podcast.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered state officials to stop "terrorizing" business, just days after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did just that -- issuing a broadside against coal and steel giant Mechel. Does this very public disagreement signal a looming Medvedev-Putin schism and a political crisis?
Whether or not Abkhazia will negotiate the return of Georgians displaced by the 1992-93 war in the region apparently depends on whom you ask. Analysts say Western efforts to secure a settlement in Abkhazia have influenced some officials in the breakaway region -- but not all -- that the time for compromise has arrived.
Russian shares are down more than 20 percent from the highs they enjoyed just months ago. One reason for the looming bear market is the Kremlin's tendency to use strong-arm tactics against foreign investors and Russian entrepreneurs.
Polls suggest that if Europeans could vote, U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama could bank on a November landslide. What kind of a reception did he get in Berlin, and what does it say about the continent's 'Obamamania'?
The sudden arrest of Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic was made possible by political changes in Belgrade. Essentially, the high officials who had been protecting him lost power. Is Serbia taking a decisive pro-Western turn?
As temperatures rise in Georgia's conflict over breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, EU powerhouse Germany is the latest to enter the fray. The goal? Convincing Tbilisi, Sukhumi, and Moscow to consider Berlin's new peace initiative.
Speculation abounds that a rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey could be in the works. Armenian President Sarkisian got the ball rolling when he invited his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to visit Yerevan to watch a World Cup qualifier.
Europe's Russia policy has long been trapped somewhere between schizophrenia and gridlock. Frontline EU states tend to favor accommodating Moscow, while newer members push for a tough line. But with U.K.-Russian relations at a post-Cold War low, some analysts say London is poised to join "New Europe."
A British security service agent has told the BBC that the Russian state was most likely involved in the 2006 poisoning death of former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko in London.
Kosovo is seeking to consolidate its fledgling statehood by enacting a new constitution. But Serbian meddling in the volatile north and Russian obstruction in the UN threaten to undermine Europe's newest state.
"The eXile" has been a fixture in the life of expatriates in Moscow for more than a decade. But in the face of government pressure, "The eXile" has announced it is closing down.
President Dmitry Medvedev has spent much of the week trying to mend fences with the West by playing the role of a Russian-style liberal. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, continues to do the opposite.
The European Union has delayed the deployment of its mission to Kosovo, casting the future stability of the newly independent country into doubt.
With tensions simmering between Georgia and Russia over Abkhazia, a new effort is under way to jump-start peace talks in the separatist region.
Georgians may be disillusioned with their leaders, but many are also spooked by the perceived radicalism and stubbornness of the opposition. Will this vote open the door to a constructive and loyal opposition?
After surviving a close call in Georgia's snap presidential elections four months ago, a chastened President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged to run a more open government, work more closely with the opposition, and pay greater attention to citizens' needs.
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was in a combative mood when he delivered his annual address to the nation. Analysts say the tone, combined with a spate of confrontational moves, indicate that Minsk's overtures to the West are over.
The memoir of former UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte includes allegations that Kosovar Albanians carried out a gruesome "organ-harvesting" operation in the summer of 1999.
Vladimir Putin becoming head of Unified Russia suits almost everybody. Plus, the Kremlin gets what it sought all along -- Russia's transformation into a Soviet-style single-party state.
Should Ukrainians and Georgians be disappointed in their hopes for early NATO action plans, it won't be due solely to Russian resistance. Both countries still have work to do in meeting alliance standards.
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