EPA-EFE/Dumitru Doru
Russia has long harboured territorial ambitions in this former Soviet republic.
EPA-EFE/Sergei Ilnitsky
Many western governments have called Putin’s election ‘illegitimate’. Now they need to adjust their diplomatic relations accordingly.
Baltic states are planning to build hundreds of bunkers, form a joint defence zone and increasing military spending.
APFootage/Alamy
Baltic states have high numbers of Russian speakers, who Putin has vowed to ‘protect’.
Donald Trump hugs and kisses the American flag as he speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., in February 2024.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A second Donald Trump presidency would not necessarily implement a foreign policy any more destructive than what is normal for the United States.
Ubiquitous: Vladimir Putin is the dominant figure on social media platforms in Russia.
Zhenya Voevodina/Shutterstock
Putin and his cronies, as well as Biden and an array of Kremlin foes and the odd pop singer, make up most discussion on Russia’s social media sites.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech before presenting the Russian Hero of Labour gold medals in June 2023.
(Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia has tied its currency to gold to evade sanctions. Shifting the ruble away from a pegged value and into the gold standard itself is aimed at making it a credible gold substitute at a fixed rate.
EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko
While Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield have been mixed, its operations in Crimea and the Black Sea have been rather more successful.
Foregone conclusion: a Russian soldier casts his vote at a polling station in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, March 2024.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
A selection of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.
Polish forces triumphed over a larger Russian force at the Battle of Stoczek, February 1831.
Maciej Szczepańczyk/Wikimedia Commons
Waning support from Poland’s allies meant the war descended to an attritional struggle, giving Russia the advantage it needed to win.
EPA-EFE/Yuri Kochetkov
Like a lot of authoritarian leaders, Putin is aware that a low turnout will make him look weak in the eyes of the world.
Appeasement: Adolph Hitler meeting Cesare Orsenigo, the papal nuncio to Germany, in 1935.
US Holocaust Museum/Wikimedia Commons
Between 1939 and 1945, Pope Pius XII put the interests of the Catholic Church in Germany before the fate of European Jews.
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks set to extend his leadership.
Contributor/Getty Images
While Putin is all but guaranteed to win, war fatigue, electoral engineering and extreme risk-aversion suggest that the Kremlin is anxious to get these elections over and done with.
Cathal McNaughton/EPA
Ukrainians are safeguarding their language and cultural identity in the face of Russian attempts to erase it.
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan loom over the people of Bishkek.
Contributor/Getty Images
Recent laws and pro-Putin sentiment by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov have sparked concern that the Central Asian country is backsliding on democracy.
Joe Biden answers questions from the media ahead of his State of the Union speech.
UPI/Alamy
Biden outlined a plan to build a temporary port to deliver aid to Gaza, and called on Israel to protect innocent victims in Gaza.
Wives of Russian soldiers place flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin wall, Moscow.
AP/Alamy
Opposition from soldiers’ wives is an underestimated form of resistance against Vladimir Putin.
Volodymyr Zelensky autographs a Storm Shadow/SCALP missile.
Ukraine President's Office / Alamy Stock Photo
Helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression is not a violation of international law – but Russia might interpret it as escalation.
Russia is the most sanctioned country in the world, since the Ukraine war.
John Ruberry /Alamy
Russia has looked for new trading partners as sanctions bite, but also suffered a brain drain.
Today Russia: Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, February 29.
EPA-EFE/Dmitry Astakhov/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
A selection of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.
Not all smooth sailing for the Russian economy, but far from choppy waters.
Alexei Danichev/AFP via Getty Images
The US has imposed another round of sanctions following the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. But will it work?