Ilan Berman writes in Foreign Affairs about the array of expensive problems Russia must fix in Crimea, including stubbornly entrenched corruption and outdated infrastructure. Also, Reid Standish in Foreign Policy examines the social media presence of Russian servicemen who are apparently aiding Bashar Assad’s forces in Syria.
Russia’s top officials regularly visit Crimea to showcase its priority status. Left to right: Presidential envoy to the Crimean federal district Oleg Belaventsev, prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, president Vladimir Putin, and Sevastopol governor Sergei Menyailo. Photo: Mikhail Metzel / TASS
Paradise Lost in Crimea
Ilan Berman, Foreign Affairs
Russia is gradually realizing that the costs of annexing Crimea were higher than expected. Yet despite the huge expense, Russian government leaders remain unequivocally positive about having conquered the region.
The Cops Who Would Save a Country
Masha Gessen, Foreign Policy
As one of its many reforms, Ukraine is seeking to retrain and upgrade its police force, primarily in order to tackle corruption. Gessen examines the complexities of transitioning from a post-Soviet militsiya to Eka Zguladze-Glucksmann’s “new police.”
Melting Ice Isn’t Opening Arctic to Oil Bonanza
Steven Lee Myers & Clifford Krauss, The New York Times
A small fishing village on the coast of the Barents Sea had high hopes for Gazprom’s arctic drilling ventures before a host of problems caused the project to be canceled. Is drilling in the Arctic worth the costs and risks?
Russian Troops Are in Syria, and We Have the Selfies to Prove It
Reid Standish, Foreign Policy
Russian soldiers have been recording their journeys to Syria via social networks, and the Russian government cannot seem to stop them from doing so. But what is stopping Russia from telling the truth about its military involvement in Syria?
Is Putin Planning a Gamble in Syria?
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg View
Russia has allegedly been stepping up its military presence in Syria recently. Why now? And is the Kremlin willing to get more deeply involved in the war against Islamic State while it is still backing rebels in eastern Ukraine?
