No Picture
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“Everything was staged!” How Russian propaganda machine works

The Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels would probably feel like an immature student were he to see the operation of the Kremlin propaganda machine. […]

Siim Kallas
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Estonia’s Kallas: Sanctions will hit Russia harder than recoil for EU

In an interview in Eesti Päevaleht over the weekend, largely focusing on EU-Russia ties and developments in transport, outgoing European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas said that although Russia acts like it doesn’t need the EU or Western banks, the country would not be able to go it alone. […]

Vladimir Putin
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Vladimir Putin’s pyramid of rule: Who really governs Russia?

In Lithuania and in the West, Putin’s system of rule is still often described as a monolith pyramid. In the eyes of society, Putin manages to present himself as an irreplaceable leader-statesman (‘tsar’, according to the West), solely making key decisions. But such an understanding of ruling processes in Russia is one of the main mistakes which prevents from obtaining a deeper insight into the regime’s origins and foundations. […]

Alexander Lukashenko
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Belarus: Asymmetric ties and a balancing act

The geopolitical perspective that Belarus is being squeezed between Russia and the European Union remains relevant. New information continues to reveal modest but noticeable attempts to improve Belarus’s relations with the West as well as the ambivalent role of Russia, Belarus’s most important ally and sponsor. […]

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko
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Amid Crisis, Belarus re-examines its political and security situation

Belarus will host the latest round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Minsk on 1 August as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continues to push his country as a mediator in the crisis. Lukashenko’s motivation is not altruistic, however, as Belarus is not immune to the competition between Russia and the West over the strategic borderland countries of the former Soviet periphery. […]

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Russia-NATO: No “business as usual”

On 22 July, President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian Security Council and effectively declared the demise of cooperation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Putin covered issues linked to the crisis in Ukraine, rejected Western allegations of Russia’s de facto involvement in the downing of Flight MH17, and then turned to security challenges stemming from NATO. […]

Lithuanian Energy Minister Jaroslav Neverovič
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Lithuania invites Latvia and Estonia to take part in new nuclear plant project

Lithuanian Energy Minister Jaroslav Neverovič on Thursday invited Latvia to participate in the Visaginas nuclear power plant project, saying that a planned interim project company could be more efficient if partners, Latvia and Estonia, took part in it. […]