Putin

People protest in front of Ukraine’s embassy to Romania in Bucharest on Feb. 24, 2022.

International law says Putin’s war against Ukraine is illegal. Does that matter?

International laws are in place to prevent war and help protect civilians and combatants alike. But these laws are challenging to enforce and are unlikely to stop the unfolding Russia-Ukraine war.

International law says Putin’s war against Ukraine is illegal. Does that matter?
Anti-government Russian demonstrators took to the streets in Decembe, 2011, increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin as he sought a new term as Russian president. The placard reads "Get tired! Leave!"

Putin's Cold War mentality explains a lot

Putin's Cold War mentality explains a lot
A few questions rattled Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow.

At a year-end press conference, a handful of journalists try to hold Putin accountable

At a year-end press conference, a handful of journalists try to hold Putin accountable
Russia-born U.S. journalist Masha Gessen (center) in a 2013 protest in Moscow against a proposed new law that would ban gay rights rallies.

From one generation to the next, Russians pass down the trauma of state terror

From one generation to the next, Russians pass down the trauma of state terror
Donald Trump Jr. arrives at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 18, 2017.

Ahead of his Senate testimony, hedge fund manager Browder dishes about the Russia investigation

Ahead of his Senate testimony, hedge fund manager Browder dishes about the Russia investigation
A carnival model of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2009.

'Why are Americans so fat?' And other questions Russians have about us.

An American journalist living in Russia says in the age of Donald Trump, Russian perceptions of America are tinged with mistrust and vice versa.

'Why are Americans so fat?' And other questions Russians have about us.
Russian President Vladimir Putin uses a pair of binoculars as he watches a display during the MAKS 2017 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow.

How Putin learned to stop worrying and love internet espionage

A decade ago, Vladimir Putin appeared to be ignoring the internet. Now he seems to be wildly successful at exploiting it.

How Putin learned to stop worrying and love internet espionage
A protester holds up a sign at an anti-Trump demonstration in Washington DC.

The Putinization of Donald Trump

Many Russians perceive Donald Trump as an American version of Vladimir Putin. It's partly based on Trump's bombastic rhetoric, but also on how his speeches and tweets are translated into Russian.

The Putinization of Donald Trump
When President Trump spoke at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia in January, he reportedly brought along his own staff to clap and cheer.

Trump tried to ice out the intelligence community from his effort to create a back channel to Russia

It's clear now that Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the US were working on creating a secret back channel between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin specifically designed to bypass the intelligence community.

Trump tried to ice out the intelligence community from his effort to create a back channel to Russia
A mural of then President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Belgrade, Serbia, December 4, 2016.

Russian journalists' advice to US reporters: 'Don't be nervous' and 'keep working'

Many Russians are swooning over Donald Trump. But journalists there are sizing him up as an impulsive populist, like their own leader.

Russian journalists' advice to US reporters: 'Don't be nervous' and 'keep working'
President Donald Trump and aid at the Oval Office in the White House.

Breitbart alumni shape the message at Trump's White House

Sebastian Gorka's refugee parents escaped from Communist Hungary. Now he's a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, making the case for the immigrant and refugee ban.

Breitbart alumni shape the message at Trump's White House
Lithuanian soldiers during military exercises in Rapina, Estonia.

Unease in the Baltics as US allies watch Trump praise Putin

Three US senators traveled to the Baltics to try to calm the jangled nerves of leaders worried that the US will abandon NATO.

Unease in the Baltics as US allies watch Trump praise Putin
Trump and Russia's history on interference

Trump: The president Russia wants?

A veteran Russia watcher says computer hacks are just one of the many ways Moscow disrupts and influences foreign elections. Watch out, she says, for the Russian insiders around Donald Trump.

Trump: The president Russia wants?
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia.

Today's Kerry-Putin photo op doesn't mean Moscow is coming in from the cold

The top US diplomat John Kerry sat down today in the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about Syria and Ukraine.

Today's Kerry-Putin photo op doesn't mean Moscow is coming in from the cold
Crimean Tatar singer Susana Jamaladinova, known as Jamala, performs during the Ukrainian national qualification for the Eurovision Song Contest outside Kiev, Ukraine, February 21, 2016.

Ukraine's Eurovision 2016 entry is about Stalin’s repression, and Russia isn't thrilled

Crimea in 2016 looks eerily like Crimea in 1944 for many Crimean Tatars.

Ukraine's Eurovision 2016 entry is about Stalin’s repression, and Russia isn't thrilled