Russia

Why Ukraine killed Igor Kirillov

17 December 2024 10:50 pm

Another one down. This morning, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of RKhBZ, Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops, was heading…

‘Carried away by those Russians’ – the dreadful fate of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters

14 December 2024 9:00 am

The queen’s repeated warnings to Alix and Ella of the danger of marrying Russians were ignored, and both Princesses of Hesse would die appalling deaths at the hands of revolutionaries

Is Ukraine heading towards a Korean-style demilitarised zone?

7 December 2024 9:00 am

It is the strangest place, the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates South Korea from North Korea. It is simultaneously a…

The deepening unpopularity of Zelensky

7 December 2024 9:00 am

Perhaps all political careers must end, inevitably, in failure. But few politicians have had careers as meteoric, as surprising, as…

How to negotiate with Russians

30 November 2024 4:30 pm

Russians are notorious for an aggressiveness at the negotiating table. In 2017 I met a group of diplomats from eastern…

Russia’s sabotage campaign against the West

30 November 2024 9:00 am

When a DHL cargo plane crashed while approaching Vilnius airport on Monday, killing one of the crew, it looked like…

Portrait of the week: Storm Bert, Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and Putin gives cockatoos to North Korea

30 November 2024 9:00 am

Home A white paper outlined measures to counter economic inactivity (which had risen by September to 41.2 per cent among…

Here’s what Putin wants from Ukraine

22 November 2024 3:18 am

Donald Trump is still two months away from becoming the 47th president of the United States, and yet his return to…

Could Ukraine go nuclear?

20 November 2024 5:35 pm

Should Ukraine have nuclear weapons? This is a question that was raised, a little insincerely, by President Zelensky recently as he…

Could Trump save Ukraine?

19 November 2024 6:24 pm

One thousand days into Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, three facts seem to be evident. First, Russia is losing.…

Ukraine will make the most of its new firepower

18 November 2024 7:43 pm

Overnight, the news of Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian soil has been sinking in.…

What will Putin do about Biden’s parting gift to Ukraine?

18 November 2024 7:20 pm

At the very moment most people seem to have forgotten of his existence, President Biden has slowly but purposefully shuffled…

Were the Arctic convoy sacrifices worth it?

9 November 2024 9:00 am

Stalin privately admitted that his army could never have triumphed without western aid, and the convoys also indirectly helped the war in the Atlantic – but the loss of life was horrendous

Meet the western conservatives moving to Russia

2 November 2024 9:00 am

Tofurious Maximus Crane was sitting in a barber’s chair in Moscow when he received the greatest news of his life.…

Can Zelensky and Putin do a deal?

31 October 2024 4:30 pm

Warring parties often strike deals. Exchanges of prisoners, ceasefires to deliver aid, covert talks between intelligence services – and eventually,…

Is Stalin-worship back in Russia?

20 October 2024 5:00 pm

As if the Russian political barometer hasn’t fallen low enough, news comes that it has yet to reach the bottom…

What does ‘victory’ for Ukraine look like?

28 September 2024 9:00 am

This week in New York Volodymyr Zelensky will present Joe Biden with a ‘Victory Plan’ for Ukraine. But how to…

It’s time to let Ukraine join Nato

21 September 2024 9:00 am

Kyiv The young amputee had a question. We were sitting once again in the rehab centre in Kyiv, and I…

Portrait of the week: Sir Keir’s tax warning, Russian air attacks and another prisons crisis

31 August 2024 9:00 am

Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, speaking in the garden of 10 Downing Street, warned that the Budget in…

What China wants from Russia

31 August 2024 9:00 am

On the face of it, the ‘no limits’ partnership between Russia and China declared weeks before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine…

Letters: we have let down white, working-class boys

24 August 2024 9:00 am

The lost boys Sir: The only statement in your powerful leading article (‘Boy trouble’, 17 August) which can be challenged…

What’s the real aim of Ukraine’s Russian offensive?

17 August 2024 9:00 am

On Monday morning, Vladimir Putin was briefed about Ukraine’s audacious invasion of Russian territory. With his military chiefs in front…

Zelensky’s new offensive could push Putin to the brink

17 August 2024 9:00 am

A Russian friend speaking from Kursk tells me the latest war joke. Vladimir Putin summons Stalin’s ghost. ‘Comrade Stalin!’ asks…

Hungary is stretching the EU’s patience to its limit

8 August 2024 10:53 pm

Hungary is no stranger to spats with its European neighbours. Under prime minister Viktor Orbán’s leadership, it has exercised veto…

The new alliances dedicated to destroying democracy

27 July 2024 9:00 am

Despite their diverse ideologies, autocracies in China, Iran, Russia and Latin America are increasingly collaborating to sabotage a rules-based international order