By John Helmer, Moscow   @bears_with Today marks the anniversary of Boris Yeltsin’s election as President of Russia. It is no moment for celebration. The government which he led successfully over the attempted putsch of last August and through the disintegration of the Soviet Union now lacks credible authority in the Russian federation and among its […]

by Editor - Tuesday, June 11th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow   @bears_with Just three and a half years ago, on January 20, 2016, the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had good reason to congratulate himself. He had successfully arranged a scheme of payoffs for two men who were intimate advisors to the presidents of the United States and Russia — at the […]

by Editor - Monday, June 3rd, 2019
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By Andrei Maximov, Moscow* The oil company of the ex-owner of Yugra Bank, now under arrest, managed to embezzle not less than 20 billion rubles from the state budget. Gasoline prices in Russia have become the subject of almost daily meetings of the government, as well as jokes and internet memes. Social networks are full […]

by Editor - Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
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By Paul Robinson, Ottawa* Helmer is an equal opportunity critic. And in the current political climate that is unacceptable. One is either with us or against us. Any signs of whataboutism, or any criticisms of the prevailing Western narrative which indicate that you’re not 100% on our side, are proof positive that is that you […]

by Editor - Monday, May 20th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow By the European standard of destructiveness in war — civil war and invasion — only one country exceeds Russia in the frequency of violence over the past two centuries and in casualties per head of population: this  is Greece. In Europe of today, no country has been as damaged by the […]

by Editor - Sunday, May 19th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow Oleg Deripaska (lead image, right), the Russian aluminium oligarch, saw red when Gennady Zyuganov (left), the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), declared in parliament that Deripaska was a swindler. Deripaska, charged Zyuganov on January 9, had stolen the aluminium plants comprising United Company Rusal from their […]

by Editor - Friday, May 17th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow The Swedish Government’s decision that there is “still probable cause” for Julian Assange to be tried for a sexual offence committed against a sleeping woman nine years ago is a political gift to the British Government. London lawyers specializing in extradition cases say it is now up to Home Secretary Sajid […]

by Editor - Tuesday, May 14th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow The British author of a new biography of Richard Sorge (lead image, left), the Soviet spy hanged by the Japanese on November 7, 1944, disqualifies himself from being believed on the very first page of his book, and on the last.   Sorge, reads the first line, “was a bad man […]

by Editor - Thursday, May 9th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow Every spring, when it’s certain no more snow will fall on Moscow, it helps to remember these things, and look forward with hope.   

by Editor - Tuesday, April 30th, 2019
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By John Helmer, Moscow The Reuters news agency has published a retraction of an “exclusive” report on operations between the Venezuelan and Russian state oil companies, PDVSA and Rosneft, after disavowing the US-supplied source. Reuters has also acted after Rosneft applied for a criminal investigation of the media company’s operations in Russia by Moscow prosecutors. […]

by Editor - Wednesday, April 24th, 2019
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