Russian Federation
Making the case for war in Eastern Europe
Robert D. Kaplan’s In Europe’s Shadow
By Clara Weiss, 26 October 2016
The latest book by Robert D. Kaplan advocates transforming Romania into a military staging ground for US imperialism and preparing for all-out war against Russia.
Turkish bombing in Syria threatens wider war
By Bill Van Auken, 22 October 2016
The fractious and mutually antagonistic alliances forged by Washington in its interventions in Syria and Iraq threaten to explode into a regional and perhaps a world war.
What is behind the anti-Russia campaign in the US?
By Andre Damon, 22 October 2016
A major theme of the 2016 US presidential campaign has been the campaign to depict Russia as intent on manipulating the election through cyber warfare.
Putin meets with Merkel and Hollande
By Peter Schwarz, 21 October 2016
A meeting between the German chancellor and the French, Russian and Ukrainian presidents on Wednesday in Berlin produced no practical results.
Egyptian junta cultivates Russia and China as a counterweight to the US
By Jean Shaoul, 20 October 2016
Egypt’s turn to Russia and China is a desperate attempt to stave off bankruptcy.
Trump and Clinton brawl in the gutter
By Andre Damon, 13 October 2016
Long-suppressed social tensions in the United States are expressing themselves in an election campaign marked by increasingly violent recriminations by both candidates.
French President Hollande cancels Paris meeting with Russian President Putin
By Anthony Torres, 13 October 2016
The cancellation of the Russian President’s visit to France is part of a dangerous explosion of military tensions between NATO and Russia over Syria.
Britain and France prepare military escalation in Syria
By Robert Stevens, 12 October 2016
The British parliament met in an emergency three-hour session Tuesday to accuse Russia of war crimes in Syria.
Turkey and Russia seal pipeline deal
By Peter Schwarz, 12 October 2016
Erdogan and Putin met in Istanbul on Monday, discussed the war in Syria and sealed an agreement to construct the long-planned Turkish Stream gas pipeline.
Russia warns US strikes against Syria may lead to war
By Alex Lantier, 10 October 2016
A US attack on Syrian government targets, which is being actively discussed by the White House, could trigger war between the world’s main nuclear-armed powers.
German government urges tougher action against Russia and Syria
By Johannes Stern, 10 October 2016
With the conflict between the US and Russia intensifying dramatically, the German government has hardened its attitude towards Moscow.
Beating the drums for war with Russia
By Bill Van Auken, 6 October 2016
The New York Times and other major media are weighing in on the side of escalating the US intervention in Syria and militarily confronting Russia.
Russia responds to US threats with blunt warning over use of force in Syria
By Jordan Shilton, 3 October 2016
A US attack on Syrian government forces could result in “total war” and “tectonic shifts” in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned.
New York Times brands Russia an “outlaw state”
By Bill Van Auken, 30 September 2016
The Times’ hysterical rhetoric reflects a debate within ruling circles over whether to launch a major escalation of war before or after the US election.
010 MH17 report
29 September 2016
Pentagon chief outlines preparations for nuclear war with Russia
By Bill Van Auken, 28 September 2016
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter delivered a chilling speech in favor of nuclear escalation to US Air Force personnel in charge of launching strategic bomber and missile attacks.
US accuses Russia of “war crimes” as danger of clash in Syria mounts
By Jordan Shilton, 26 September 2016
The hypocritical accusations of war crimes hurled at Moscow by the US, Britain and France are an attempt to provide a cover for their reckless policy of regime change in Syria.
Kremlin party wins parliamentary elections amid low voter turnout
By Andrea Peters, 21 September 2016
United Russia gained a supermajority in the Duma, despite widespread abstention.
NATO sends 4,000 combat troops to Poland and Baltic states
By Johannes Stern, 20 September 2016
The sending of additional NATO troops to Eastern Europe is part of the preparations for war against Moscow adopted in early July at the NATO summit in Warsaw.
Retiring British general urges preparations for war with Russia
By Steve James, 19 September 2016
Retiring General Sir Richard Barrons is unusually frank in laying out the nature of the military conflicts he says Britain must prepare for.
Russian elections take place amid deepening economic and geopolitical crisis
By Vladimir Volkov, 17 September 2016
Parliamentary elections on Sunday across Russia unfold as the country’s economic decline continues and tensions mount in the ruling elite.
Media misinformation and the US election’s war agenda
By Bill Van Auken, 10 September 2016
The arrest of two young men in North Carolina for hacking into the accounts of top officials and government agencies casts a stark light on the media’s anti-Russia campaign.
Tensions between Washington and Moscow rise as Russia intercepts US spy planes over Black Sea
By Jordan Shilton, 9 September 2016
Whatever the precise cause of the incident, primary responsibility for the exacerbation of tensions lies with US imperialism and its NATO allies.
Clinton denounces Russian “interference” in US elections, calls for escalation in Syria
By Patrick Martin, 7 September 2016
The Democratic presidential candidate has stepped up her McCarthy-style campaign against Republican Donald Trump as an ally or stooge of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Syrian war threatens to escalate as Obama-Putin talks fail
By Jordan Shilton, 7 September 2016
The calls for humanitarian aid and safe zones are transparent pretexts to legitimise a vast intensification of the imperialist intervention in Syria.
The New York Times and “disinformation”
By Andre Damon, 30 August 2016
The New York Times, which functions as a clearing house for lies hatched by the Pentagon and CIA, has accused the Russian government of subverting public opinion in the US and Europe.
Russian athletes barred from Paralympic Games
By Andrea Peters, 25 August 2016
In the latest salvo against Russia, the world’s top court of sports has ruled that the country’s disabled athletes cannot participate in the upcoming games.
Biden’s blank check to the Baltic states: US will wage war on Russia in your defense
By Andre Damon, 24 August 2016
Vice President Biden said Washington’s commitment to militarily defend the tiny states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was a matter of America’s “sacred honor.”
More anti-Russian propaganda from the New York Times
By Barry Grey, 23 August 2016
Precedents for such exercises in state propaganda in the guise of journalism have ended with mass killings, the toppling of governments and, in many cases, the murder of government leaders portrayed as the incarnation of evil.
Suicide bombing kills 51 at wedding in Turkey
By Alex Lantier, 22 August 2016
The atrocity is the bloody outcome of years of incitement of Islamist terror and ethnic warfare in Syria by Washington and its imperialist allies in Europe.
Putin visits Crimea amid rising tensions with Ukraine
By Bill Van Auken, 20 August 2016
Ukrainian President Poroshenko threatened to impose martial law and conscription in response to what he claimed was the threat of a Russian invasion.
Kremlin chief of staff dismissed amid continuing political turmoil in Russia
By Andrea Peters, 18 August 2016
In the latest in a series of dismissals of leading officials, the Russian president has replaced a long-standing Kremlin insider with a little-known bureaucrat.
German media steps up anti-Russian agitation
By Ulrich Rippert, 17 August 2016
Over the past week, virtually every leading newspaper in Germany has published articles denouncing Russia for its intervention in Syria, Ukraine, or both.
The provocation in Crimea and the threat of world war
By Bill Van Auken, 13 August 2016
The terrorist attack in Crimea and ratcheting up of the war threat in Eastern Europe have exposed the real purpose of the anti-Putin hysteria in both the US election campaign and the Rio Olympics.
070 China-South Korea tensions over THAAD deployment
12 August 2016
The battle for Aleppo and the hypocrisy of US war propaganda
By Bill Van Auken, 10 August 2016
Fifteen years after launching a “global war on terror” in the name of wiping out Al Qaeda, Washington is arming and funding its associates in Syria to counter Russia.
Erdogan and Putin meet in St. Petersburg
By Halil Celik and Peter Schwarz, 10 August 2016
Washington is fearful that Erdogan’s visit might signal a strategic reorientation by one of the most important members of the NATO alliance.
Atlantic Council proposes to develop Poland as a stronghold for war with Russia
By Clara Weiss, 10 August 2016
The American think tank has published a 25-page strategy paper titled “Arming for Deterrence” calling for a massive NATO military build-up against Russia.
Russian helicopter shot down in Syria as battle rages over Aleppo
By Alex Lantier, 2 August 2016
Cut off from their supply lines to Turkey, US-backed Islamist militias are mounting a desperate offensive to break through the encirclement of their forces in Aleppo.
New York Times concocts amalgam to link Trump and Putin in Democrats’ email scandal
By Isaac Finn, 28 July 2016
The Times is spearheading the Clinton campaign’s effort to pin the leaking of incriminating DNC emails on a supposed plot by Russia to tilt the US election in favor of Trump.
UK government steps up its role in NATO warmongering
By Harvey Thompson, 26 July 2016
The vote to renew Trident came 10 days after the NATO summit in Warsaw, at which then Prime Minister David Cameron made clear Britain’s commitment to aggression against Russia.
Russian athletes to participate in summer Olympics under discriminatory regime
By David Levine, 26 July 2016
The International Olympic Committee will allow Russian athletes to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games if they can convince sports authorities they are innocent of doping.
Pentagon accuses Russia of targeting US-British Special Forces base in Syria
By Thomas Gaist, 25 July 2016
US-Russian tensions are surging in Syria, despite the Obama administration’s efforts to delay a further escalation of the war until after the 2016 US elections.
Ruling maintains ban on Russian track and field athletes from Rio Olympics
By George Gallanis, 23 July 2016
The ruling came only two days after the World Anti-Doping Agency called for all Russian athletes to be banned from next month’s summer games in Brazil.
090 WADA Russia doping report
22 July 2016
065 Russian economy
19 July 2016
NATO summit plans escalation against Russia in Eastern Europe, Middle East
By Alex Lantier, 11 July 2016
NATO is planning a major military escalation, based on plans for a perpetual state of war in the Middle East and preparations for all-out war with Russia in Europe.
Europe and US continue anti-Russian sanctions
By Andrea Peters, 4 July 2016
On the same day the EU extended asset freezes, travel bans, and trade embargoes targeting Russia, the US announced new sanctions directed against the Russian defense industry.
Canada to jointly lead NATO’s new “advanced force” against Russia
By Roger Jordan, 2 July 2016
The deployment was announced less than 24 hours after President Obama called on Canada to play a greater role in NATO and spend more on its military.
Warmongering and historical falsification on 75th anniversary of German invasion of Soviet Union
By Christoph Vandreier, 2 July 2016
On German television, presenter Guido Knopp and historians Jörg Baberowski and Sönke Neitzel questioned whether Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa was a deliberately planned war of annihilation.
Russian president seeks closer economic and strategic ties in Beijing
By Peter Symonds, 28 June 2016
The two countries are being driven closer together by fears of the growing danger of war posed by the United States.
Ex-PM Mulroney urges Canada to prepare for war
By Roger Jordan, 25 June 2016
Lest Mulroney’s listeners were in any doubt about the meaning of his declaration that Canada must be ready to “fight,” he invoked Canada’s role as a major belligerent in World War II.
German foreign minister distances himself from the United States
By Peter Schwarz, 21 June 2016
Steinmeier declared that Germany is forced “to reinterpret the principles that have guided its foreign policy for over half a century.”
Doping allegations cited to ban Russian track and field team from Rio Olympics
By Barry Grey, 18 June 2016
The pretense that Russia is some kind of outlier and affront to the “Olympic spirit” is an absurd and cynical fraud.
Canada’s elite urges Liberal government to deploy troops to Eastern Europe
By Roger Jordan, 16 June 2016
Canada is expected to become the fourth “core” contributor to a NATO force to be deployed to the Baltic states and Eastern Europe with the aim of provoking Russia.
Tensions mount in Poland in run-up to NATO summit
By Dorota Niemitz, 9 June 2016
Six former ministers of national defense published an open letter attacking the current defense minister, Antoni Macierewicz, and demanding his resignation.
US uses gas deliveries to pressure Russia
By Clara Weiss, 30 May 2016
While NATO is encircling Russia militarily, the energy market is increasingly being used to exert pressure on Russia for geostrategic aims.
German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung demands military deterrence against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 23 May 2016
In the lead-up to the NATO summit in Poland in early July the professional warmongers in the German media are intensifying calls for a military build-up in Eastern Europe.
Retired British general predicts war with Russia, denounces Cameron government as “semi-pacifist”
By Harvey Thompson, 21 May 2016
Shirreff urges class war at home and public spending cuts to fund massive increases in military spending.
NATO-Russia war tensions laid bare at Washington summit
By Thomas Gaist, 16 May 2016
The past week has seen the American-dominated Western alliance markedly intensify its preparations for aggressive war along Russia’s eastern and southern borders.
New doping allegations against Russia ahead of summer Olympics
By Barry Grey, 14 May 2016
While it is entirely possible that the Putin government has overseen a program of doping, the unsubstantiated allegations are being used to promote a reactionary geopolitical agenda.
US-NATO officials unveil Romania-based missile system
By Thomas Gaist, 13 May 2016
In a move Russian officials denounced as a “direct threat,” US and NATO officials presided over the formal launch of a new missile system based in Bucharest.
Russia creates National Guard to protect capitalist oligarchy
By Vladimir Volkov, 12 May 2016
The Kremlin recently announced the creation of a new special military force with expanded powers of police state repression.
Forty million Russians in debt
By Clara Weiss, 7 May 2016
Household debt has more than doubled in Russia since 2008, with the total currently $159 billion.
Civilian deaths in Syria surge as US-Russian brokered ceasefire unravels
By Thomas Gaist, 30 April 2016
American support for the ceasefire was a tactical maneuver, aimed at buying time for US forces to prepare a renewed push.
German army assumes leadership of military buildup against Russia
By Christoph Vandreier, 30 April 2016
NATO’s aggressive plans sharpen the confrontation with Russia and bring the world closer to a third world war.
Military force “on the table” in relation to Russia, US commander says
By Bill Van Auken, 23 April 2016
The Obama administration’s nominee for US commander in Europe called for the permanent deployment of an armored brigade near Russia’s border.
Paul Mason launches campaign for UK Labour to pledge itself to nuclear war
By Chris Marsden, 22 April 2016
Former economics editor of Channel Four News Paul Mason’s latest statements are a devastating political exposure of an entire fetid petty-bourgeois milieu.
NATO-Russia meetings resume amid fears of military clash in Europe
By Alex Lantier, 21 April 2016
After close encounters between US and Russian forces in the Baltic Sea, there are mounting fears of an accidental clash escalating into full-blown war between nuclear powers.
US-Russia tensions flare in Baltic Sea
By Jordan Shilton, 18 April 2016
Washington’s aggressive military build-up throughout Eastern Europe, in close collaboration with its NATO allies, has brought the entire region to the brink of war between nuclear powers.
Plan B: CIA prepares to arm Syrian “rebels” with antiaircraft weapons
By Bill Van Auken, 14 April 2016
Washington is warning that if it is unable to achieve regime change through UN-brokered talks, it will drastically escalate the Syrian bloodbath.
After four days of fighting, Azerbaijan, Armenia call Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire
By Kumaran Ira, 6 April 2016
Doubts persist over how long the ceasefire will last, as the Caucasus and the Middle East have been put on edge by escalating imperialist wars and economic crisis.
Obama’s nuclear summit underscores danger of war
By Peter Symonds, 2 April 2016
The aim of US “non-proliferation” policy is not to rid the world of nuclear bombs but to ensure the US retains its nuclear dominance over any potential rival.
US deploying additional armored brigades to Russian border
By Thomas Gaist, 1 April 2016
The US military is preparing to deploy some military equipment and thousands of troops directly on the Russian border as part of a “permanent footprint.”
Living standards fall and discontent rises in Russia
By Vladimir Volkov, 18 March 2016
In a sign of the population’s intense economic distress, retail trade levels in Russia have fallen to their lowest level in 40 years.
Syrian war enters sixth year with graver dangers still ahead
By Bill Van Auken, 18 March 2016
The recent “cessation of hostilities” and partial withdrawal of Russian forces will not stop the escalation of US militarism in the region and beyond.
Russia announces partial withdrawal from Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 16 March 2016
Moscow’s intervention was directed principally at forestalling the imposition of a US puppet regime in Damascus hostile to the interests of Russia’s ruling oligarchy.
Two years since the Kiev coup
Part two
By Andrea Peters, 8 March 2016
This, the second part of a two-part article on two years since the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine, reviews the role of various pseudo-left organizations. The first part was posted on March 7.
Two years since the Kiev coup
Part one
By Andrea Peters, 7 March 2016
Two years after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was forcibly removed from office in a US-backed, right-wing coup, the working masses of the Eastern European country face a worsening economic and social disaster.
China and Brazil: Two expressions of the deepening capitalist breakdown
By Nick Beams, 4 March 2016
As the “BRICS model” of economic growth disintegrates, conditions are emerging for another financial crisis.
US admiral claims Russia’s intervention in Syria has implications for Arctic
By Roger Jordan, 4 March 2016
Both Canada and the US are moving to rapidly expand their military capabilities in the Arctic, citing heightened tensions with Russia in Eastern Europe and the Mideast.
Imperialism intensifies pressure on Russia and China
By Andre Damon, 2 March 2016
Leading strategists of US imperialism increasingly see the fomenting of national secessionist movements as a means to destabilize and subjugate the Eurasian land mass.
Mine disaster in Russia kills 36
By David Levine, 2 March 2016
A series of explosions at the Severnaya coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia caused the deaths of 36 people, including five rescue workers.
Syria fighting continues into third day of US-Russian “truce”
By Thomas Gaist, 29 February 2016
US war planes continue to strike targets throughout large areas of the country, while American commandos organized offensive operations by an array of proxy forces.
NATO operation in Aegean heightens threat of war with Russia
By Johannes Stern, 29 February 2016
The dispatch of warships under German leadership to the strategic Aegean Sea to deter refugees heightens the risk of NATO intervention in Syria.
Under cover of truce with Russia, US prepares military escalation in Syria
By Barry Grey, 24 February 2016
The Obama administration has pushed for a truce largely to buy time and prevent a complete military rout of the Al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and its allied “rebels.”
Fiji orders second arms consignment from Russia
By John Braddock, 20 February 2016
Moves by Russia to establish itself as a Pacific power, in response to the US drive to dominate the region, will only heighten tensions in the Asia Pacific.
Turkey escalates war threats after terror attacks
By Johannes Stern, 19 February 2016
NATO member Turkey is deliberately risking a military confrontation with Russia, which could rapidly develop into all-out war between the great powers.
Turkey pushes for ground invasion of Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 17 February 2016
The call for a major escalation of the imperialist intervention in Syria has been accompanied by a propaganda campaign over alleged Russian strikes on hospitals.
European Union pushes for energy independence from Russia
By Clara Weiss, 17 February 2016
The EU Commission has indicated that it will seek to prevent the construction of the Nord Stream II pipeline, which would supply natural gas from Russia to Germany.
Pentagon budget directed toward war with Russia and China
By Bill Van Auken, 3 February 2016
The thrust of US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s speech before the Economic Club on Tuesday was that US imperialism is preparing for a new world war.
Russian arms consignment arrives in Fiji
By John Braddock, 28 January 2016
The shipment underlines the deepening geo-strategic tensions in the Pacific.
UK government inquiry purports to link Putin to Litvinenko assassination
By Tom Carter, 27 January 2016
The report of the inquiry, based in part on the testimony of key “expert” witness Robert Service, has been loudly advertised in the media over the past week, despite the absence of any evidence to support its findings.
Russian government prepares cuts as poverty surges
By Andrea Peters, 20 January 2016
With the price of oil collapsing, the Kremlin is preparing a 10 percent across-the-board budget cut.
Russia names United States, NATO as threats to its national security
By Alex Lantier, 5 January 2016
The contents of the Russian national security strategy testify to the bankruptcy of the world capitalist system and amount to an indictment of the reckless policy of the imperialist powers.
Indian prime minister visits Russia to consolidate relations
By Deepal Jayasekera, 5 January 2016
While supporting the US “pivot to Asia” against India’s regional rival China, the Modi government is maintaining New Delhi’s longstanding ties with Russia.
Putin news conference highlights Russian crisis
By Andrea Peters, 21 December 2015
In his end-of-year news conference last week, the Russian president failed to cover up the disastrous state of the Russian economy and the geopolitical quagmire facing the country.
Shots fired amid Russian-Turkish naval standoff in Aegean
By Thomas Gaist, 14 December 2015
A Turkish fishing vessel nearly rammed a Russian warship near the Aegean island of Lemnos on Sunday, prompting warning shots to be fired by the Russians.
Russian truckers protest massive fee hike
By Andrea Peters, 14 December 2015
Long-haul drivers in Russia have been staging demonstrations across the country for weeks to oppose a new levy that will devastate their earnings.
Australian workers and youth voice concerns over downing of Russian jet
By our correspondents, 3 December 2015
Workers and youth interviewed by the WSWS pointed to the role of the US in stoking global geo-strategic tensions.
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