On-line Intelligence Bulletin of the European Press Agency
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
The 18 March presidential election is Russia demonstrates how difficult it is to build and consolidate a political party in such a centralised system. In consequence, Russia has its lot of opponents, but no opposition. Suffice it to look at the choice proposed to voters, with on one side a sure winner and on the other seven expected losers. Continue reading “In Russia opponents but no opposition”
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
By any standards, the annual Address to Parliament delivered by President Putin on 1 of March was unusual, by the content and the form. The Address is one of the three public presidential high moments, with the end of the year press conference and the “meeting with the nation”. It is an opportunity for the president to present his track record and his projects. In an electoral period, everyone expected the 2018 edition to be different. But nobody was prepared for so much emphasis on military issues, in a high-tech décor including a projection full of military hardware and explosions, delivered by a president adopting a tone of voice remembering his intervention at the 2007 Munich Conference which stunned the West by its violence. Continue reading “Putin strange address to the Nation”
By Andrew Wilson
Poutine – L’homme que l’Occident aime haïr, Nina Bachkatov, éditions Jourdan, Bruxelles-Paris, 2018.
Under a provocative title – The man the West loves to hate – Nina Bachkatov’s book covers more than the Russian president’s personality. In 199 pages it describes in detail the complex evolution of the post-Soviet state under his leadership – a process that she has followed at close quarters for more than thirty years. Continue reading “Book review: “Poutine, l’homme que l’Occident aime haïr””
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
This is not a secret: Vladimir Putin wants to be reelected, with a large margin and a high turnover. But he also wants to show he is in tune with 2018 Russia. Continue reading “Kremlin’s receipe for a “modernised” campaign”
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
The main success of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held on 30 January in Sochi is that it existed. Up to the last moment, Russian diplomats and experts doubted that the Congress would attract enough Syrian delegates to be credible. There was fears that it might be cancelled for a third time. Continue reading “Sochi: another step towards a Syrian resolution”
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
For months the question was not “Will he or not?” but “when”?. Vladimir Putin finally announced his candidacy to be the next president at a place and a moment nobody expected – on 6 December, in a factory, outside Moscow. Continue reading “Finally he did it”
By Nina Bachkatov and Andrew Wilson
Finally, President Putin has decided once again to keep his cards under his sleeve up to the last minute. Continue reading “The discreet candidate”