Politics is human speech. Fear is an animal instinct. In Moscow, fear is taking the place of politics.
Moscow
Conversation with a Contrarian
Robert Shlegel, the rising star of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, is both the total outsider and the consummate insider.
Putin’s Willing Helpers: The Billionaire
Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is using his presidential campaign to position himself as the leader of a new generation of Russian liberals.
Moscow Sees Off Winter
Last week Vladimir Putin recalled the heroic defense of Moscow against Napoleon in an effort to rally supporters. But it’s too late. Putin has already lost Russia’s capital.
Russia Fakes a Rally for Putin
A Soviet-era joke need only be slightly tweaked to describe Vladimir Putin’s grip on power: “They pretend to rule us, and we pretend to support them.”
Putin’s Willing Helpers: The Apparatchik
Gennady Zyuganov was once seen as the greatest threat to Russia’s fledgling democracy. The fact he’s still around is more a testament to the Communist Party’s inertia than to any leadership traits such as intelligence, eloquence or charisma.
Putin’s Willing Helpers: The Geologist
Nobody knows why Sergei Mironov wants to be Russia’s next president. It seems he himself isn’t quite sure.
Fear and Loathing in Moscow
About a dozen opposition demonstrators were detained in Moscow today. The participants in an anti-government protest near Red Square this afternoon were bundled into police buses without being informed of the reason for their detention.
A Hot Winter’s Day in Moscow
Biting cold and visible cracks in the motley protest movement dampened expectations. But the massive turnout gave the demonstrators new momentum in the run-up to the presidential election.
Putin vs. Russia’s New Nationalists
Vladimir Putin isn’t a man who usually acknowledges his mistakes, but on Monday he confessed that his government had failed to propagate tolerance and understanding among Russia’s more than 100 ethnic groups.
