Vladimir Putin

A Trip Through the Mind of Vlad the Conqueror: A Satire Blending Imaginary Thoughts with Historical Facts

by Lawrence S. Wittner

"Today I am Vlad the Conqueror!  Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”

This is Putin's Last War, and He's Losing

by Timothy Snyder

Predictions that Russia's nuclear arsenal would be a bulwark against strong Ukrainian resistance or western support have shown that Putin wields these weapons like a bully to threaten, but can't win the war he started. 

Putin Also Making War on Ukrainian Memory

by Richard Ovenden

Victory in war involves imposing one's own version of history on the next generation. Russian forces appear to be targeting Ukrainian archives where records of KGB surveillance and Soviet-era repression of Ukrainian civilians are held, part of an effort to delegitimize claims of independence. 

What's Hiding in Putin's Family History?

by Chris Monday

The details of Vladimir Putin's personal and family life are surprisingly (and by design) difficult to pin down. A historian suggests that his grandfather was more powerful, and more influential on the future Russian leader's fortunes, than Putin's common man mythology suggests. 

Why the Kremlin Made "Z" its Symbol of the Ukraine Invasion

by Alexander Etkind

Can Russia's aggression against Ukraine be explained by its leaders fetishizing the small differences in national life, and the divergent fortunes of the post-Soviet generation, in the two countries? Are those gaps so small that only an invented symbol could express them? 

My First Trip to Russia 30 Years Ago Is a Cautionary Tale Now

by Steven Knipp

The decades since the fall of Communism have borne out a Russian saying: "The horses of hope gallop. But the donkeys of experience go slowly.”

What Will Russia Look Like Without Putin?

by Joy Neumayer

A transformation of Russia after the end of Putin's leadership will require unwinding the countless institutions that have been molded and warped around his power for decades, so that another authoritarian can't step right in to use them. 

Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Won't Set Off a Nuclear Scramble

by Eric Brewer, Nicholas L. Miller, and Tristan Volpe

It seems that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may eventually help the cause of nuclear nonproliferation, if the United States approaches its allies with the right mix of defense assurances and aid to civilian nuclear power that may serve as a "hedge" to reassure other governments that they could develop weapons, even if they don't. 

Putin's Nuclear Threats are Warping the West's Ukraine Strategy

by Anne Applebaum

Nuclear bluster is a purposeful strategy to leverage fear to make NATO nations less willing to defend Ukraine and other nations neighboring Russia. How can they have a better response? 

Putin, Contending Ukraine Doesn't Exist, Seeks its Destruction

by Olesya Khromeychuk

Unfortunately for the Russian leader, despite widespread global ignorance of the substance of Ukrainian nationhood, repeated attempts to destroy it testify to its reality. 

Between January 6 and Ukraine, Macho Men Threaten Democracy

by Walter G. Moss

"It would be simplistic to blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Putin’s misguided machismo, but it certainly is a factor."

Perspective: Using a Nuclear Weapon Would be Disastrous for Russia

by Steve Cimbala and Lawrence J. Korb

Russia has retained much of the Soviet-era's top-down command structure, which removes decisionmakers from both the real-world context and consequences of big decisions. This presents a danger that those leaders will misundersand the catastrophic result of a nuclear bomb. 

Tim Snyder: Why Putin Wants the Republicans in Power

Although the Republicans are split, it seems clear that Putin is working to boost the isolationist elements of the MAGA movement at a moment when Ukrainian forces are close to defeating Russia's invasion with international and American support. 

Putin's Strategy Echoing Hitler's Mistakes on Eastern Front

by James Thornton Harris

Although Vladimir Putin has called the Ukrainian leadership "Nazis" to justify invasion, the longer the Ukraine war drags on the more Putin's strategic errors resemble those made by Hitler on the eastern front.

Putin Could Fall, but it Might Not Help the West Much

by Jim Sleeper

Those speculating on the possible precarity of Putin's regime should be wary of the illiberal and authoritarian tendencies rising in the West. 

Look to Russia's Civil War to Explain Current Carnage in Ukraine

by Adam Hochshild

The brutality of the Russian war against Ukraine shows few of the linguistic, ethnic, or religious markers that have often accompanied human rights abuses by armies. Thinking of the conflict as a war to maintain empire explains the scope and nature of violence.

What the Cuban Missile Crisis Tells Us About Putin's Possible Intentions

by Michael Dobbs

The danger of nuclear brinksmanship is not that any one leader is irrational or intransigent, but that even rational leaders can't always control events they set in motion. 

If Putin Says Nuclear Weapons Threat is No Bluff, Believe Him (and Prepare)

by Joseph Cirincione

The first use of nuclear weapons is a part of both Russian and American military strategy; the task for the world is to assess the most likely scenario and plan to respond effectively. 

Sergey Radchenko on Putin's Mobilization Speech

Putin's cautious declaration of a partial mobilization reflects his increasingly desperate military situation and the growing unpopularity of the Ukraine war in Russia. 

Around the World, Censorship of Historians is Tied to Attacks on Democracy

by Ruben Zeeman

Teachers and researchers of history are under attack – sometimes literally – by regimes who seek to make history a foundational element of their legitimacy and authority.