Russia
There’s no such thing as an ‘ordinary Russian’
There was a whiteboard in the BBC Baghdad bureau for noting down phrases we hoped to ban from the airwaves.…
Sanctions are working – whatever Putin says
Sanctions are working — whatever Russia says
Russian escapism: Telluria, by Vladimir Sorokin, reviewed
Vladimir Sorokin, old enough to have been banned in the Soviet Union, flourished in the post-Gorbachev spring, and he fled…
Is war brewing between Serbia and Kosovo?
Serbia and Kosovo are close to conflict. Of all things, a dispute over car number plates is threatening the fragile…
Germany’s energy crisis is a warning to Britain
During the eurozone crisis, southern European states had to go cap in hand to Germany to stave off national bankruptcy.…
Portrait of the week: Sunak vs Truss, London dodges a blackout and 94st walrus capsizes boats
Home In a television debate between the two contenders for the leadership of the Conservative party (and hence the prime…
Is self-loathing the British disease?
Whatever one thinks of the government’s plans to send refugees to Rwanda, it was amusing to see this country’s left…
Putin has Europe where he wants it
Have we reached the endgame of Vladimir Putin’s energy war against the West, the point at which he turns off…
Ukraine and Russia sign grain deal – what next?
This afternoon Kyiv and Moscow signed a UN-backed agreement to free up at least 20 million tons of grain from…
How Germany's energy crisis could hurt Britain
For now, Berlin can breathe a sigh of relief: after a ten-day shutdown for maintenance, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline…
The next PM must be ready for Putin
Westminster is understandably obsessed with the question of who makes the final two of the Tory leadership race, but today…
How Justin Trudeau caved to Putin
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the West was certain that its sanctions were worth the pain. But there always was a…
An existential war: even wealthy émigrés are prepared to fight for Russia
Even wealthy émigrés are prepared to fight for Russia
Turkey’s grain diplomacy
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is once again using Turkey’s geopolitical position for his own ends, this time dictating grain shipments from…
East Germans still find it hard to see Russia as the enemy
East Germans still find it hard to see Russia as the enemy
Cold war: Putin’s plan to hold Germany to ransom
Can Germany’s solidarity with Ukraine survive the winter?
How to save Oxford Street – and your high street
Oxford Street is ‘a dinosaur district destined for extinction’, says Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin – whose plan to…
How inoculation against smallpox became all the rage in Russia
The concept of vaccination evolved from 18th-century inoculation practices and many people contributed to the accretion of knowledge. This book…
Nato is no longer 'brain dead'
Finland and Sweden will be formally invited to join Nato today. Them joining the alliance will bolster Nato’s presence in the…
Macron’s Russian oil plan is bound to fail
It will drain Vladimir Putin of funds for his war machine. It will bring down inflation. And it might even…
Portrait of the week: Rail strikes, rates rise and a record-breaking stingray
Home A rail strike on three alternate days, bringing the system to a standstill for a week, was organised by…
Zelensky’s peculiar Glastonbury appearance
Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t quite make it onto the Glastonbury line-up posters. Perhaps Michael Eavis, the owner of ever-so Worthy Farm,…
How Russia’s cartoon heroine turned on Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin’s regime has a track record in building up public heroes whom it hopes to use, only to find…
Is the war slipping away from Ukraine?
After the decisive failure of Russia’s attempt to overthrow the government of Ukraine by seizing Kyiv, Kharkiv and other key cities…
How Michael O’Leary can stop the flying blame game
Stock markets are tumbling, but given the tide of economic news, that’s hardly surprising. The S&P 500 index dived into…
