Read all posts for ‘Russia’

In spite of the clear polarization of the Syrian Civil War, with Iranian- and Russian-backed Shiite authorities on one side and Western-backed Sunni rebels on the other, one group does not quite fit into this mess. Just who, precisely, are Syria’s Kurds, what are their aims, and what is to […]

Despite the stable growth of the Russian economy, social inequality in the country remains very high. Experts predict that Russia’s GDP will increase by 1.8 percent this year but such economic stability doesn’t translate into improvements of the welfare state nor does it guarantee any social sustainability. As a journalist […]

  Russia’s steady growth in GDP and its 5% unemployment rate could make countries like Greece and Spain green with envy. The Russian economy surged ahead from the mid-2000s, seemingly immune to the shocks of the 2008 economic crisis. Foreign corporations kept pumping money into a country whose high levels […]

Vasily Melnichenko, a farmer from a village close to Yekaterinburg, became famous after speaking during the Moscow Economic Forum. “We joined the WTO, but we are certainly not competitive” Melnichenko said. “We want to develop a clear economic and social program because the level of idiocy has, generally speaking, already […]

  ‘Where are you from?’ is the first question everyone asks you. It’s a question I can’t stand. Explaining my origins and identity takes a long time. Why? Well, I was born in Vladivostok, a small city in the far east of Russia. I’ve lived in Tel Aviv, Budapest, Cairo […]