President Putin at an annual ceremony marking the Kyivian Rus.
Sodel Vladyslav/Shutterstock
Ukrainians have a long history of speaking Russian in parts of the country.
A military cadet stands near a billboard promoting army service in Saint Petersburg on Oct. 5, 2022.
Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images
While Russian public opinion polls show continued support for the war, there are questions about the polls’ reliability and indications that public approval of Putin is declining.
Russian recruits gather inside a military recruitment centre on Sept. 26, 2022.
(AP Photo)
An influx of reluctant Russian troops probably won’t drastically change the outcome of the war in Ukraine. Here’s why.
Military target? A boy looks at a fragment of Russian rocket in a children’s playpark, Kyiv, October 2022.
Oleksii Chumachenko/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire
Failing on the battlefield, Russia is now concentrating its fire against civilians in Ukraine’s major cities.
The Kerch Bridge, seen here after being damaged in an explosion, was Vladimir Putin’s pet project.
EPA-EFE/Maxar Technologies handout
US president Joe Biden has warned of Armageddon if Russia uses nuclear weapons and says Vladimir Putin needs an ‘off ramp’ to de-escalate.
Memorial board members Yan Rachinsky and Oleg Orlov speaking to journalists in Moscow.
Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/AAP
Memorial embodies resistance to the radical evil of modern totalitarianism.
EPA-EFE/Yuri Kochetkov
Some of the key articles from our coverage of the war in Ukraine over the past week.
In 2014, protesters chant “Our name is Strelkov,” in solidarity with the military veteran, Igor Girkin. Also known by the alias Igor Strelkov (“shooter”), he played a key role in the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas.
Vasily Maximov/AFP
Putin’s annexation speech was heavy on ultranationalist references. Understanding Russia’s far right figureheads and what they stand for is now essential for deciphering the Kremlin’s war strategy.
EPA-EFE/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin/Sputnik POOL
Beijing remains a friend of Moscow, but the relationship is becoming increasingly unequal as Russia is weakened by war.
A polar bear stands on the ice in the Franklin Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in July 2017.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Transnational Arctic co-operation has stalled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here’s what will be required to get it back on track.
A Russian citizen being called up for duty.
Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A historian looks back at the success – and failure – of mass mobilization efforts by Russia and the Soviet Union.
Gavriil Grigorov/EPA/AAP
There are now definite signs his grip on power is starting to fray, even if Putin’s demise may still be some way off.
The remains of a Russian Army armoured column in Bucha, Ukraine on 09 April 2022.
Geopix/Alamy
Vladimir Putin may have swerved away from a full conscription policy because of what we know about how if affects political support.
Land grab: Vladimir Putin formally announces the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
EPA-EFE/GAVRIIL GRIGOROVSPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Russia has annexed four Ukrainian regions, saying they have always been part of the ‘motherland’. But Moscow’s territorial claim is as flimsy as the excuse it used to start the war
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Alla Pugacheva during a 2014 awards ceremony honoring the pop singer with the Order For Merit to the Fatherland.
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images
In opinion polls over the past two decades, she’s routinely selected as one of the most popular Russians – often appearing second only to Vladimir Putin.
Power couple: Boris Yeltsin’s constitutional reforms gave the Russian president almost unlimited power.
EPA-EFE/Itar-Tass/pool
Widespread outrage at Vladimir Putin’s decision to introduce partial mobilisation has focused attention on his ability to rule by decree.
The new Baltic Pipe natural gas pipeline connects Norwegian natural gas fields in the North Sea with Denmark and Poland, offering an alternative to Russian gas.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not hesitated to use energy as a weapon. An expert on global energy markets analyzes what could come next.
A woman votes in the controversial referendum in Donetsk, Ukraine on Sept. 27, 2022.
Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
While some parts of eastern Ukraine have been under partial Russian control since 2014, other sections continue to fight back. Most residents overall have said they don’t want to be part of Russia.
PA-EFE/Zurab Kurtsikidze
Russian men fleeing conscription are entitled to protection under international law – here’s why.
Kremlin/Wikimedia Commons
La Russie tente de normaliser un ordre international basé sur la loi du plus fort où la démocratie et le respect des droits humains sont facultatifs.