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.
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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.
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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.
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.
A group of Russians smile at the border crossing Verkhny Lars between Georgia and Russia on Sept. 23, 2022. Long lines of vehicles have formed at border crossings into Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization to bolster his troops in Ukraine.
(AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Russians crossing land borders into Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Georgia to avoid being drafted into the Ukraine war are experiencing very different receptions.
This Russian short-range cruise missile, the Iskander-K, can carry nuclear warheads for several hundred miles.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP
Tactical nuclear weapons were designed to be used on the battlefield rather than for strategic defense, but that doesn’t mean there’s a plausible case for using them.
The people have spoken – apparently.
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This is policy on the fly. At best it will buy Putin time over another cold Ukrainian winter. At worst it will result in battlefield chaos and potentially mass slaughter.
Mobilisation: Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
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Despite the rhetoric and condemnation from UN leaders gathered in New York, Russian plans to annex eastern parts of Ukraine cannot be stopped. What could happen next?