Tale of a Child in a Moscow Underground
“His clothes and appearance indicate he did not make a great deal from his efforts. But he had no other skill and no time to find one. If the situation racking Russia produces a “lost generation, Pavel would be a prime candidate for membership.”
Near Term Oil Pricing Prospects
“At the end of last week, crude oil prices were declining faster than at any point in the last two years. By Friday’s close of trade (2:30 pm Eastern for oil and other commodities), both major benchmarks were accelerating a move downward.”
The Continuing Fate of an Independent Press in Russia
“Being a journalist has not been the safest of occupations in ‘Mother Russia.’ At least 21 have been murdered since Putin took power in 2000. These have included personal friend and well-known government critic Anna Politkovskaya.”
Moscow’s Narrowing Options in Oil and Gas Trade
“This has been an unusual week. It began with a call from a former colleague requesting some quick assistance in designing counters to the latest Russian hydrocarbon trading moves. It ended with some of that advice making its way into proposals made by the US delegation in Brussels.”
Valentina Makes Trouble Again in Khamovniki
“Unfortunately, in each of these military endeavors, emerging intel is telling the outside world that Russian military leaders are continuing to use raw recruits in combat situations with insufficient training and support. Some things, it seems, never change.”
The Chinese Sidestep
“In such an environment, the Chinese will deflect when possible, agree when advisable, and look out for those occasions in which it can gain advantage by moving away from the primary focus of contention.”
Another Moscow Soldier; Another Time
“His efforts will ring solid these days. There will need to be those who take up what he did in an earlier war as the damaged young men return from Putin’s ill-advised assault on Ukraine.”
Confronting Geopolitical Patterns
“’Analysts’ still largely regard such geopolitical events as insular, outliers, exceptions to the rule, one offs. They are not. Rather, such episodes are more the norm than most would want to conclude.”
Death in a Callous Moscow
“The real human impact is unfolding below what the media is showing.”
The Economic Crisis Emerging in Moscow
“Already having risen to more than 1.5 million and rapidly growing, the UN has proclaimed this the most acute European refugee crisis since World War II. But someplace else there is another stream of people leaving. These are not Ukrainians, they are Russians. And it is an indication of how quickly matters have changed.”