In Moscow's Shadows 102: The Wolf that Only Howls: the Chechens in Ukraine
A spat between Wagner's Prigozhin and Chechnya's Kadyrov provides a good opportunity to look at the role of the Chechens in the Ukraine War - or, rather, just how small a role they are playing. Why is...
4 Jun 202338min
In Moscow's Shadows 101: Phoney Wars and Rising Stars
Bakhmut has (probably, kinda) fallen and Belgorod raided. The first is hardly a real defeat for Ukraine nor a real victory for Moscow. The latter may prove more significant, not so much for the raid i...
28 Mai 202349min
In Moscow's Shadows 100: All the News That's Fit to Print (in Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
As a change from the usual, I look through the top six news items currently on the website of Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the main government newspaper of record, on today, Sunday 14 May. What can one learn a...
14 Mai 202334min
In Moscow's Shadows 99: All Hail the Tsar? Why Putinism has suffered from becoming monarchical
It's an easy journalistic shorthand to hall Putin a new tsar (I've done it myself), but what might it mean? Coronation weekend in the UK seems a fitting time to consider the pitfalls for Putinism of i...
7 Mai 202345min
In Moscow's Shadows 98: Dogs of War (and Racoons)
News that gas corporation Gazprom appears to be sponsoring a mercenary unit in Ukraine prompts me to explore the complex ecosystem of Russian private military companies and mercenaries. Not so much th...
29 Apr 202354min
In Moscow's Shadows 97: Where Are They Now?
Even loyalists seem in some cases to be taking a step back, not for a moment standing against the Kremlin but less able or willing to be so vocal and visible supporting it. I look at four such figures...
22 Apr 202347min
In Moscow's Shadows 96: Of Leaks and Lengths
What can we learn from the massive trove of US secret documents recently and incautiously leaked? And what are the signs that Russia really is digging in, not for a 'Forever War,' but certainly a leng...
16 Apr 202349min
In Moscow's Shadows 95: Tatarsky, Gershkovich, Patrushev and Guns
Something for everyone? What we may conclude from the murder of milblogger 'Vladlen Tatarsky', thoughts on the hostage-taking of journalist Evan Gershkovich, the madness of Nikolai Patrushev and a new...
4 Apr 202356min
