Lucian Kim
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Caucasus

The Caucasus region is the strategic land bridge joining Russia, Turkey and Iran. Protected by the majestic Caucasus Mountains, dozens of ethnic groups have preserved their languages, traditions and religious beliefs over centuries.
I’ve reported from the oil-boom town of Baku, covered the five-day Georgia-Russia war in 2008 and accompanied Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton on separate tours of the region. You can read about a 2011 reporting trip I took to the Russian provinces of Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia in my blog, Gonzo Goes to Grozny.

‘The Wound Is Very Deep’: Azerbaijanis And Armenians In Russia Long For Peace

Published November 5, 2020 in NPR Leave a comment

“Both Azerbaijanis and Armenians understand that young men are dying. There is no need for war; war is there where there is no God.”

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Fighting Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Threatens To Spiral Into Full-Blown War

Published September 28, 2020 in NPR Leave a comment

“This conflict could send ripples through the entire North Caucasus region and affect all major players, including Russia and Turkey.”

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Cracks in the Russian Regime

Published January 30, 2011 in International Herald Tribune Leave a comment

The paradox of the costly retention of Chechnya is that few Russians view the North Caucasus as an integral part of Russia worth keeping.

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Four Die in Shoot-Out as Russia Faces Jihadist Threat

Published September 25, 2009 in Bloomberg Leave a comment

“Moscow still hasn’t worked out a strategy on the North Caucasus and hasn’t even tried,” Alexei Malashenko said. “The Kremlin doesn’t want to recognize there’s a real Islamic opposition.”

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Empty Towns, Destruction in Georgia Show ‘Everyone Is to Blame’

Published August 17, 2008 in Bloomberg Leave a comment

Less than an hour’s drive to the north is Tskhinvali, where fighting began after Georgian forces took the city following a night of heavy bombardment. Most houses had broken windows and were either pockmarked by bullets or gutted by shelling.

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Putin’s Outdated Illusions are Dangerous

Published September 13, 2004 in The Christian Science Monitor Leave a comment

In his speech after the massacre, Putin didn’t mention Chechnya a single time, even though it was clear that the trail from Beslan led back to the war-torn republic.

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Women Lead The Way Against Belarus’ Patriarch, Says Svetlana Tikhanovskaya

“Our women understood they don’t have to stay in their kitchens and can go and fight for their rights beside  — and even in front of their men,” said Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

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About Lucian

Based in Berlin and Moscow, I’ve reported from the former Soviet empire since 1996. I started working as National Public Radio’s Moscow correspondent in December 2016. Before that I contributed to Reuters, Slate, Bloomberg and The Moscow Times, among others.

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© Lucian Kim, 2011-2021. All Rights Reserved.