Russia
Freedom for South Ossetia
South Ossetia wants to break free, she’s wanted to break from the shackles of Georgia ever since the Soviet Empire imploded and well… we all know the rest, don’t we? The wannabe South Ossetians have declared an Independence day and it sounds like an awful lorra fun, The parade made its way noisily down Stalin […]
Taking more flak
Talking of flak, shrapnel, war wounds and the like. The latest fashion fad in the Caucasus for the dogs of the Russian Federation is – you guessed it – fancy flak jackets poodle style, "Dogs in Chechnya neutralised land mines and other explosive devices which are not seen by mine detectors. And that is why […]
Another 100 million bricks in the wall
From Edward Lucas The Economist’s Estonia expert and author of the upcoming book "The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces Russia and the West", Imagine two walls, each 120km (75 miles) long, set at right angles and tapering to a height of three metres. They are covered in names, each inscribed in letters 1.35 […]
Chechnya – Russia’s “War on Terror”
When three planes smashed into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, few expected Chechnya to feel the impact. But 9/11 probably had the most far-reaching consequences for the Chechens since Stalin deported the entire population to Siberia in 1944. It also saved the career of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose […]
Inside Out – July 07
I started writing this en-route to Frontline’s first event in Kiev amid rumours that Alan Johnston would finally be released. The nightmare for the Johnston family, his loved ones and colleagues looked set to end. At the same the staff of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) were just coming to terms with […]
Ukraine unravels
Just over two years ago it seemed Ukraine was firmly headed on a democratic path after its bloodless “Orange Revolution”. But for the last several months the country has been in political crisis and opposing demonstrators have crowded onto its streets. The crisis has revealed the ugly and deep-seated problems which endanger Ukraine’s very existence […]
Death of a critic
It was an early morning phone call that let me know of the attack. Issa, a friend in Chechnya, his usually steady voice betraying just a tremor of fear, said unknown gunmen had opened fire on the car he had sent to collect me. Of the two men inside, one was badly wounded. He said […]