Rusia

I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men.

~PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, American University, June 10, 1963

Following an essay I published earlier this month and the letter the Eisenhower Media Network ran in The New York Times in May, I have heard forceful and passionate protests that Russia had no other option but to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Frankly, I find quite bewildering and concerning this intense insistence that the only option available to Russia was to launch a cross-border invasion, conduct a deliberate occupation of a sovereign country, and commit a clear violation of the Nuremberg Principles and international law.

The Russian private military company Wagner Group, which made headlines over the weekend by starting to march on Moscow amid an apparent dispute with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has longstanding ties to Hong Kong, records show.

On 24 June, President Vladimir Putin faced his biggest challenge in over two decades at Russia’s helm: a mutiny by a mercenary group fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts explore the implications for Putin’s rule and Russian foreign policy.

We have yet to see the full repercussions of the Wagner Group’s march on Moscow.

“Bombing Voronezh” is an expression in the Russian language that roughly translates to hurting yourself while trying to do damage to someone else. On June 24, language met reality as Russian forces bombed the southern city of Voronezh trying to slow down the advance of the Wagner Group’s mercenary convoy towards Moscow.

I noticed that the consciousness of many simply cannot cope with the events of June 24th. Therefore, the trend is rising: “it just didn’t happen”; “everything was not real”; “They are there on purpose.” Only in this way can the acute pain of what happened be dulled. When it comes to the defensive reaction of a wide society, not particularly immersed in the sphere of meanings – in this case, political science meanings, this is understandable and acceptable: people are looking for loopholes for the continuity of the routine flow of the life world, in which events are either microscopic or they do not exist at all. But when those who claim seriousness and depth of analysis begin to broadcast the same thing, it just looks pathetic. In fact, the acute phase of the events of June 24 has been resolved, but nothing is completely over yet: now some specific actions of the authorities must follow, which will clarify the picture, and only then comes the minimum clarity. In the meantime, it may be premature to comment on the meanings: since the whole process has not been completely completed, the resulting one may be different. After all, what began and continues, acquires meaning in its completion – and not before. You never know what can happen in the course of the deployment of such a critical chain of events. Full analytics ahead.

Contrairement aux commentaires de la presse occidentale, Evgueni Prigojine n’a jamais tenté de coup d’État contre Vladimir Poutine. Il a voulu le faire chanter afin de conserver les privilèges exorbitants qu’il a accumulés depuis la création de sa société militaire privée. Puis il s’est rendu à la raison et a réintégré son poste.

Nobody in Russia understands what the war in Ukraine is about. And now, nobody knows if that war is coming to them.

When I saw the first images of armed men in ragtag uniforms taking over the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning, I was immediately reminded of the “little green men” who began showing up in cities in Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Like the Russian troops and soldiers-of-fortune who began the Kremlin’s covert invasion of Ukraine, the fighters in Rostov displayed no insignia as they seized key buildings, including the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District. Just as in Ukraine nine years ago, there was no resistance from local law enforcement officers, who chose life over a fight with determined gunmen.