Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted a summit of former Soviet republics and called for unity among them. Putin presided over an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. Russia is expected to chair the group next year. -snip- One of the participants was Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He is believed to have been frustrated with Russia since ethnic Armenian forces were forced to surrender in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh following a military offensive by Azerbaijan in September. Pashinyan apparently believes that Moscow failed to fulfill its role as Armenia's ally. He...

Reflecting on the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Russian President Vladimir Putin termed the event as one of the greatest catastrophes of the 20th century. This sentiment stems primarily from its immediate impact on the ethnic Russian population, a theme that has found recurring resonance in Putin’s rhetoric. According to Putin, the collapse of the Soviet Union led to an unprecedented situation where overnight, 25 million Russians found themselves living outside Russia’s borders. These individuals suddenly transitioned from being citizens of a dominant global power to becoming ethnic minorities in newly formed nations. This demographic shift, Putin underscores, elucidates...

The Supreme Court declared the results of Ukraine's disputed presidential run-off election invalid on Friday and ruled that the run-off should be repeated on Dec. 26, bringing cheers and fireworks from tens of thousands of opposition supporters massed in Kiev's main square. The ruling, made after five days of hearings by the court's 18 justices, was a major victory for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who had rejected the government's demands that an entirely new election be held. The opposition had pinned its hopes on the court's ruling in its bid to overturn the results of the Nov. 21 run-off vote...