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.
When Russia sneezes, the old saying goes, all its neighbors catch a cold. So what happens when Russia and the United States sneeze together?
Two summits in two Southeast European cities. One loud and clear message from Russian President Vladimir Putin: We're back.
The linking of Russian and Croatian oil pipelines is high on the agenda as Russia's president heads to Zagreb for a summit on energy cooperation.
The former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe have become the beleaguered Belarusian opposition's best friends.
Russia's second city of St. Petersburg is hosting a round of summits and an opposition demonstration on June 8-9.
PRAGUE, June 4, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. President George W. Bush arrives today in Prague, where he will try to persuade Czech officials to support a U.S. proposal to deploy parts of a missile-defense system in the country.
Fear, intimidation, and coercion are back in vogue as tools of the Kremlin's policy, both at home and abroad.
The outcome of parliamentary elections is likely to dictate the course of the presidential vote in 2008.
Two years ago, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko was hailed as a conquering hero in many Western capitals. But then what?
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The police presence in the center of Minsk has been noticeably beefed up in recent days ahead of what may be a major opposition demonstration.
Mammadyarov and Rice signed an agreement on energy security on March 22 (epa) March 23, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Three meetings. Three cities. One goal: making Europe less dependent on Russian energy.
A bill under consideration in Russia would forbid the media from revealing the race or ethnicity of both suspected criminals and crime victims.
Russian media have been speculating that the powerful ruler of Tatarstan may well be in the Kremlin's crosshairs.
Russia's president is making a major trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. Gas and arms sales will be on his mind.
Russia's economy rests on two pillars: oil and gas. Now President Putin says it's time for that to change.
Moscow wanted to use its G8 presidency to showcase its renewed influence in the world -- but those expectations were largely unfulfilled.
December 27, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Another New Year, another gas crisis between Russia and one of its neighbors.
PRAGUE, July 14, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Not long ago it looked like the G8 summit might become a Cold War-style showdown, with Washington accusing Moscow of bullying its neighbors, backsliding on democracy, and using energy as a weapon. But as the St. Petersburg summit approaches, a confrontation looks less likely.
Russian discrimination has long had an impact on ethnic and religious minorities, even as the USSR trumpeted concepts like the "friendship of nations" and the ideal of the "New Soviet Man." But the overt racial violence seen in modern-day Russia is something new. Some argue the collapse of the Soviet Union brought long-latent racism to the surface, by opening the door to uncontrolled migration, economic collapse, and the entrenched conflict in Chechnya.
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