Russia Decoded

  • April 5, 2026: “Once Upon a Time, There Was NATO”

    April 5, 2026: «Once Upon a Time, There Was NATO» In a televised display reminiscent of the infamous Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting in February 2025, Vladimir Putin last week delivered a dressing-down to Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin. The Russian president warned Armenia that any further pivot toward the European Union and

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  • March 29, 2026: Iran Dominates the Russian News Cycle

    March 29, 2026: Iran Dominates the Russian News Cycle With U.S. military operations now in their fifth week, the Iran War has become the centerpiece of Russian news coverage, which portrays the operation as a “catastrophe” exposing the limits of American power. The Kremlin’s narrative has even turned personal, mocking the Trump administration’s lack of

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  • March 22, 2026: Is a Digital Iron Curtain Falling on Russia?

    March 22, 2026: Is a Digital Iron Curtain Falling on Russia? With the war in Iran now in its fourth week, Russian state media continues to showcase the conflict as the latest act of Western “lawlessness.” The heavy focus on the Middle East now serves as a convenient screen for the “special military operation” in

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  • March 15, 2026: A Tale of Two Military Operations

    March 15, 2026: A Tale of Two Military Operations The Kremlin has used the unfolding war in Iran to frame the United States as a reckless “wild elephant” sowing global chaos. Highlighting the destruction of U.S. bases and the “crusading” religious fervor of U.S. military leaders, Russian state media openly contrasts Donald Trump’s “Middle Eastern

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  • March 8, 2026: Is the Iran War an Asset or Liability for Putin?

    March 8, 2026: Is the Iran War an Asset or Liability for Putin? As U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran enter their second week, the Kremlin faces a complex calculus of costs and benefits. On one hand, the conflict has triggered a surge in global oil prices and effectively diverted critical Western weapon systems away from the

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