How the West is helping Putin's propagandists
One might not think that J. R. R. Tolkien has much to do with the bitter war in Ukraine, but…
Does Putin have blood cancer?
Suddenly, we are all diagnosticians. Clips of a puffy Putin slurring his words, his hands twitching or clutching a table…
The real reason for Putin’s intelligence shake-up
It has been reported this week that Vladimir Putin is shifting responsibility for covert operations in Ukraine to a different…
How Ukraine rained on Putin’s parade
The Russians know how to put on a parade, and Victory Day is the showiest of the shows. It may…
Why Putin’s ‘Satanic’ missile launch matters
In some ways, it’s a headline-writer’s dream: Putin puts his faith in Satan. In reality, it’s actually Putin’s new RS-28…
Putin is devouring his children
Like the Greek titan Cronos devouring his own children, Vladimir Putin seems determined to turn against those he was once…
The terrifying neo-Nazi mercenaries being deployed in Ukraine
Given how the Kremlin is so determined to portray Ukraine as a hotbed of Nazis, it is tragically ironic not…
Good riddance to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russia’s clown prince
He wanted to see the Baltic States bombarded with toxic waste. He brawled in parliament. He encouraged Vladimir Putin to declare…
Even Putin's Praetorian Guard is turning against him
You’d think a ruthless autocrat who believes he faces a West that wants to unseat him with people power would…
Russia’s best and brightest are fleeing Putin
News that Putin’s climate envoy Anatoly Chubais has quit his position and left the country is no great surprise and,…
Why is Putin firing a hypersonic missile in Ukraine?
Putin, like many other belligerent autocrats, does like his Wunderwaffen, or ‘wonder weapons.’ Now it appears he’s even used one…
Putin’s totalitarian turn
Putin, of course, can never be wrong. Hence the desperate struggle, familiar to other personalised authoritarianisms, to find suitable scapegoats,…
The West needs to prepare for guerrilla war in Ukraine
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned this week that convoys of weapons being sent to Ukraine would be considered…
Is Russia becoming a dictatorship?
Is Russia heading for dictatorship? Some would think it is already there, but even today there are still some remnants…
Putin's propaganda machine is breaking down
As protests continue against the war in Ukraine, and as Russian casualties mount, the Kremlin has launched the predictable two-prong…
The war in Ukraine has divided Putin’s court
It is striking how little enthusiasm there is in Russia for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – but for some, it has…
Putin is deluded if he thinks Ukraine will quickly fold
So it’s war. For all Vladimir Putin may want to call it a ‘special military operation,’ as missiles rain down…
Has Putin outplayed Macron in Africa?
While the world is focused on Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron has withdrawn all French forces from Mali. Last weekend, thousands of…
Russia's Ukraine invasion is an own goal for Putin
Vladimir Putin does like to keep us guessing. While Western governments were warning in increasingly apocalyptic terms of a full-scale…
Putin has created a Schrödinger’s war in Ukraine
In his famous thought experiment, Schrödinger’s cat was both dead and alive in potential, until its box was opened to…
Putin and Xi’s Potemkin alliance
Vladimir Putin very rarely travels abroad these days – and Xi Jinping has not met a foreign leader in person…
Britain's fiery relationship with Russia could help Ukraine
Britain last night sent soldiers and hi-tech kit to bolster up Ukraine’s defences amidst the threat of a Russian invasion.…
No, Putin isn't trying to bring the Soviet Union back
On Christmas Day 1991, in his last act as president, Mikhail Gorbachev signed away the existence of the Union of…
Is Vladimir Putin really willing to invade Ukraine?
Is Putin preparing to invade Ukraine? It certainly looks that way, with western intelligence agencies estimating this week that around…
Britain's duty to the Black Sea
With Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s borders, the Black Sea is looking choppy. While that may seem to have little…
