Amy Knight

The Secret Files of the Soviet Union

The Price of Doing Business in Russia: Prison

Mike Calvey’s detention has caused alarm in the Russian financial community. This makes the virtual silence of the US State Department, which has made no comment on the case beyond acknowledging the fact of his arrest, all the more shocking.

The Crime of the Century

On the killing of Boris Nemtsov

The Magnitsky Affair

Navalny, Anti-Rutabaga Candidate

This is the third time this year that Russian authorities have put Aleksei Navalny, the charismatic anti-corruption crusader who has declared himself a candidate for the Russian presidency, behind bars. Rather than intimidate him, the arrests seem to embolden him.

A Show Trial in Moscow

As the sensational trial of former Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukaev continued this week in Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky District Court, it seemed more and more like a replay of the infamous show trials of the Stalin period—the charges bogus, the outcome predetermined.

Putin’s Monster

Why would the Russian government tolerate the Chechen government’s campaign against gays, which has been so heavily criticized and seems to serve no political purpose?

Putin’s Intelligence Crisis

Amid the political and diplomatic chaos in the US since Donald Trump assumed the presidency, Russian leadership has been experiencing its own turmoil, until recently kept under wraps, but now emerging into the open.

Fatal Russian Poison in London: The Report

Putin: Strong and Weak

Despite their country’s economic crisis, Russians still overwhelmingly support Putin, resting on the illusion that somehow he can recreate former economic well-being. But presidential elections are not scheduled until March 2018. Will Putin be able to sustain this illusion until then?

Putin's Sinai Problem

Why would the Kremlin want the FBI involved in the investigation of the crash of flight 9268, a case that could seriously compromise public support for Russia’s Syria campaign?

Stalin: His Daughter & His Crimes

Why Russia Needs Syria

Russia’s entry into the Syrian conflict has fundamentally changed the dynamic of the four-and-a-half-year-old war there.

A Kremlin Conspiracy?

The arrests of five Chechens have led to new speculation about the Kremlin’s involvement in the murder of Boris Nemtsov.

Russia's Political Murders

The murder of Russian politician and liberal activist Boris Nemtsov fits into a long and well-established pattern of politically-motivated killings in Putin’s Russia.

Unaccountable in Ukraine

A growing number of unofficial investigations show unambiguously that a Russian missile system was used to down Malaysian flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Obama’s Putin Delusion

The Obama White House has exhibited a misguided optimism about Kremlin intentions ever since the introduction of the “reset” with Russia in 2009.

Putin’s Golden Dilemma

Clearly, one reason Putin seems to have decided to only go so far in Ukraine is the possibility of provoking retaliatory moves from the West. But Putin may also be apprehensive about the reaction within Russia itself.

Russia's Security Games

While the FBI talks of improved ties to Russia’s security forces leading up to the Sochi Olympics, the Russian government’s dismal record in fighting terrorism suggests it is far from a reliable partner.

Putin’s Downhill Race