Kremlin Out in the Cold Podcast 4

Traitors in our Midst: Treason Charges in Putin’s Russia

Treason is a powerful word. It invokes a sense of distrust in the person, their distaste for country and readiness to betray their home. This is, at least, the common understanding of treason and one that the Russian government recognizes. However, they have also accepted a more troublesome understanding, one that more simply believes disagreeing with the state or doing your job can be viewed as treasonous.

Bombings in the Caucasus: From the Desert to the Mountains

At the end of March, two separate bombings shook Dagestan.  On 30 March 2016, the Caucasus Province of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) claimed responsibility for detonating two explosive devices against two Russian interior ministry (MVD) vehicles in the Kaispisk area of eastern Dagestan. The group claimed that ten soldiers were killed and three were wounded, though local media sources claim that one soldier was killed and two wounded.

Russia’s Coal Exports: Declining, but Not Burnt Out

Russia’s Minister of Energy Alexander Novak informed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that the Ministry predicts that price of coal will continue to fall through 2016. Over the last five years, the price for coal (in rubles) has decreased by 21%, even when accounting for the currency devaluation. Additionally, export prices (in USD) for Russian coal have decreased 1.6 times for energy usage and 2.2 times for coking.