Fred Weir is a Moscow correspondent for In These Times and regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor, the London Independent, Canadian Press and the South China Morning Post. He is the co-author of Revolution from Above: The Demise of the Soviet System.
Feature
Will Pussy Riot Get The Last Laugh?
The prison sentence against the radical feminists chills freedom of speech but the backlash against the verdict might chill Putin as well.
Dispatch
People vs. Putin Power
The Russian Spring begins in winter.
Dispatch
Russia Claims the High Ground
The Kremlin condemns persecution of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange—but it may soon change its tune
Feature
Orange Fades to Black
Heralded for its Orange Revolution five years ago, Ukraine is coming apart at the seams
Feature
Russia’s Monroe Doctrine
Cornered by NATO’s expansion, Moscow reasserts its imperial ambitions
Feature
Putin Is Gone! Long Rule Putin!
With new president, Russians continue to forgo political voice for economic security
Dispatch
From Autocracy With Love
Dispatch
Ethnic Cleansing in Russia
Putin stokes the flames of xenophobia by targeting non-Slavs in Georgia.
Culture
No Reason to Exist
Dispatch
‘Managed’ No More
Russians take to the streets to protest the privatization of their social welfare system.
Dispatch
Deep Divide
Ukraine's contested election reflects Russia's push to reunify
Dispatch
Demise of Democracy
Dispatch
The Bloodiest Chapter
A recent spate of Chechen terrorist attacks sends a centuries-old conflict spiraling out of control
Dispatch
Life During Wartime
Chechen refugees are forced to return, but the battle continues.
Dispatch
To the Extreme
A new Russian law shuts down Kremlin opposition.
Dispatch
Forgotten Land
Chechnya remains mired in misery
Dispatch
Putin TV
Russia's last independent network goes under.
Dispatch
Forgotten War
As the conflict in Chechnya worsens, the media ignore it.
Dispatch
Caught on Tape
Presidential scandal drives Ukraine into political chaos