A voter is seen casting a ballot in a regional election in Ryazan Region on Sept. 13. Regional authorities across the country prevented the liberal opposition from running in the contests. Photo: Alexander Ryumin/TASS
No Changes in Moscow’s Stance on Syria
Nikolay Kozhanov, Chatham House
Kozhanov argues that the West has misinterpreted the Kremlin’s motivations again, but this time in Syria. If Russia does not plan to put boots on the ground in Syria, what are Putin’s true intentions?
Why Russia and the U.S. Disagree on Syria
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg View
Russia’s traditionalist view of national sovereignty has put it at odds with the West, which has moved toward a view that says humanitarian values trump absolute autonomy, Bershidsky says. Can the two sides overcome this difference in views when it comes to the crisis in Syria?
Russia’s Latest Fake Election
Maxim Trudolyubov, The New York Times
Regional elections took place across Russia last weekend, and as usual the authorities barred the opposition from running in the vast majority of races. Trudolyubov argues that it is inaccurate to call such processes “elections,” but says the voting does serve a purpose for the Kremlin.
Why Russia Still Loves Putin
Alec Luhn, Politico Magazine
In recent months, it appeared that the Kremlin was preparing to allow the opposition more opportunities to succeed in regional elections. But in the end, opposition party Parnas was allowed to run in only a single region, Kostroma, where the odds were stacked squarely against it.
‘It’s Only Now That They Hate Us’: Russia and America’s Forgotten Wartime Friendship
Mikalai Anishchanka, The Guardian
In the early 1940s, as the U.S.S.R. fought off a Nazi offensive during World War II, the U.S. sent its Soviet allies thousands of warplanes by flying them to Alaska, then handing them off to Soviet pilots. This summer, a group of Russian and American airmen retraced that treacherous route to commemorate the two countries’ former partnership.
