Russia
Russia’s Atomic Wildfires
Massive wildfires are encroaching on Russia’s defunct nuclear sites, threatening to reignite radioactive compounds that have been dormant since the Cold War. But the country’s understaffed and underexperienced fire service is faltering in the wake of the Ukraine war, leaving populations across the vast interior vulnerable to a compound disaster.
Prosthetics and Profits
The war in Ukraine has vastly increased the need for prosthetics in Russia. The result is an industry that is visibly expanding — financially and statistically — while the system meant to serve amputees becomes more strained, less flexible and increasingly unequal.
The Russian Complex: Why China’s Ties to Moscow Run Deeper Than Politics
While the Sino-Russian partnership is typically viewed through the lens of hard power, it also stems from a shared history and a strong cultural enmeshment. From literary affinities to architectural imitation, from fashion trends to shared pedagogical models, Russia’s imprint on modern China is deeper than headlines suggest.
Europe Rolls Up the Welcome Mat for Russian Nationals
Middle-class Russians are angry that the EU’s new visa restrictions punish them for a war they have no power to stop. But the inconveniences they face pale in comparison to Ukrainian suffering, which the new entry policy makes it more difficult for them to ignore.
The Accidental Revelations of a Russian Spy’s Memoir
A new Russian film fictionalizes the adventures of the spy-diplomat Gen. Alexander Zorin. Draft scripts and his memoir, “The Negotiator,” reveal — perhaps inadvertently — that Russian lies about its military operations in Syria were as central to its strategy as the munitions it fired.
Putin Updates His Syria Strategy
The very existence of Syria’s new leader serves as a stark reminder to Moscow of what it has lost. For Russia’s influential, pro-war military bloggers, often a barometer of nationalist sentiment, the welcome given to interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a slap in the face.
How a Classic Russian Opera Became a Work of Protest
The opera “Boris Godunov” — first performed in St. Petersburg in 1874 — has, in recent years, become a lightning rod for clashing interpretations of Putin’s regime and, by extension, the question of Russians’ complicity in the bloodshed in Ukraine.