Questions tagged [russian-federation]
For questions about or involving the Russian Federation, successor of the Soviet Union. Located in Eurasia, Russia is the largest country by land mass, and it operates as a semi-presidential republic. For questions about the Soviet Union (USSR), use tag: [soviet-union].
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Could humanitarian aid be provided in Mariupol through the air?
Judging from the news that I have access to, it appears as if the residents of Mariupol in the southeast of Ukraine - hundreds of thousands of people - were stuck in a city without fresh water, food, ...
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Why would Russian troops in Ukraine fly the flag of the USSR? And why would the Russian MoD advertise this?
From this video which appears genuine:
I'm miffed at why the Russian soldiers are flying the flag of the USSR. And why would the Russian Ministry of Defense advertise this?
A little more search ...
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Why does Ukraine not simply agree to Russia's demands? [closed]
All Russia seemingly want is for Ukraine to remain neutral and not join NATO or EU.
Why does Ukraine not simply agree to these demands?
If the only (realistic) options available to Ukraine are:
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On what grounds did Vladimir Putin invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter for self defence while going into Ukraine?
In his announcement (at 20:02) of the special military operations, Vladimir Putin invoked article 51 of the UN charter, justifying these operations as self-defence. However, since Russia was never ...
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Has Ukraine ever considered being neutral after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
This article that was written a few weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine suggests that Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the idea of Ukraine's neutrality following Finland as a model:
During the tense ...
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What is the sentiment inside the United Russia party now? [closed]
The United Russia party controls its country,
so I assume that most people affiliated with this party support the Ukraine occupation.
Has anyone in this party publicly come out opposing the Ukraine ...
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What practical difference would it make, over the existing US sanctions, if Russia's PNTR status were revoked?
Apparently there's a difference of opinion between the White House and Congress on whether to revoke Russia's "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) with the US.
What practical difference ...
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Why did Putin call Ukrainian officials “drug addicts”?
Among other things, Putin has called the Ukrainian leadership a “band of drug addicts” (source) shortly before invading Ukraine in 2022.
This seems like a strange accusation. He could have simply ...
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Why would countries attack civilian facilities like hospitals during war?
Very recently, on 8th March 2022, Russia allegedly has bombed a Ukrainian children’s hospital in Mariupol, as reported by among others CNN and BBC.
There have been similar incidents in the past: USA ...
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Does the US designate Russia as an *authoritarian state*?
Russia is frequently called authoritarian - in discourse by western politicians, in the news and in casual discussions. Is it however officially designated by the US (or any western country) as an ...
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Why would the Russian army shoot fleeing civilians in Ukraine? [closed]
There have been several reports from Ukraine during the recent war, where a "humanitarian corridor" is supposedly set up so that civilians can leave their city under siege, but is not ...
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What is the public evidence about Russian claims concerning US promising non-expansion of NATO towards it borders?
During the recent 2022 conflict in Ukraine and the diplomatic talks preceding it, the Russian government kept saying that there were promises made by the US and the west that NATO would not expand ...
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If Russia plans to demilitarize Ukraine, does that mean (e.g.) they plan to take over or dismantle the Kharkiv tank factory (and design bureau)?
Ukraine has inherited (from Soviet times) the Morozov design bureau and the Malyshev (tank) factory, both located in Kharkiv. These have been responsible for a non-trivial amount of armored vehicles, ...
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What is the meaning of the Z and V symbols being sported by the Russians in the current Russo-Ukrainian conflict?
There are these two symbols (Z & V) which are considered as Russian prowar symbols which are appearing on Russian Army vehicles and being worn by Russians supporting the war. There is some ...
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Why did Russia invade Ukraine now, in 2022? [duplicate]
Are there any indications why Russia decided to threaten and then invade Ukraine at the time it did?
In particular:
The two countries were already at war with each other since 2014. Have there been ...
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How much coal, oil, and natural gas has the U.S. imported from Russia in recent years?
This morning, President Biden announced an executive order banning imports of fossil fuels from Russia. From the White House fact sheet (emphasis added):
Today, President Biden will sign an Executive ...
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Did the sanctions against Russia take into account that oil price might neutralise their effect?
Western countries imposed some sanctions on the Russian Federation and some Russian individuals since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. But Russia can still sell oil on the international markets ...
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Why can't Russia stop Ukraine from joining NATO by signing a treaty with a friendly NATO state?
One of the core demands that Russia is making on Ukraine is that Ukraine enshrine neutrality, thereby permanently refraining from joining NATO. In other words, one of the reasons Russia went to war is ...
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What is the basis for the Western leaders to believe that harsh economic sanctions will not lead to a nuclear war with Russia eventually?
It is clear at the moment that no Western countries will send troops to Ukraine or set up a non-fly zone in Ukraine because they worry that will lead to a WWIII.
But Putin already said Western ...
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Back Channels of Communication Between US and Russian Military
Allow me to open my question by citing an example from recent history:
If you recall in Sept 2021 it was revealed by Axios that during the chaos of the 2020 election/post-election General Mark Milley ...
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What is Russia getting in exchange for their gas and oil now that they've been cut off from the Western financial system?
As far as I can tell both of these things are currently true:
Russia has been cut off from a large chunk of the Western financial system
The EU is still buying Russian gas and oil
But how does this ...
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Are there any clues as to how China's leadership thinks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine as it relates to Taiwan?
I'm curious if there are any clues about how China's leadership is thinking about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, particularly it's occupation of the Russian-speaking west, as it relates to Taiwan. ...
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How can Putin save face?
Former MI6 Chief, Sir Robert John Sawers, says
we need to be a little bit careful about how we do that, we must leave Putin a way out
And Yuval Noah Harari says:
Nobody could say for sure how the ...
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Why does Russia consider the Ukrainian elections as "invalid/stolen"?
A recent question says (among other things):
In Ukraine, one claim used by Russia to justify its invasion is that the current regime is a "puppet regime", that is, the elections by which it ...
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Has Google removed RT.com from web searches (in the EU)? [closed]
If I search (from an EU IP) seemingly for anything on Google with the site:rt.com restriction, I get no results, but funny pages like "476 results removed".
Did Google announce removing RT ...
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What does the written and unwritten international law say about an eventual shutdown of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant?
Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
After the Russian forces occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant there have been a lot of discussions about the risk of radiation leak, but not about the main ...
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Would a potential Russian attack on Starlink satellite be considered an attack on NATO member?
Does NATO consider an attack on a satellite in space as similar to attacking the country in which the company is registered?
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How will Russians get reliable information? [closed]
Wikipedia:
Article 29(5) of the Constitution of Russia states, "The freedom of the mass media shall be guaranteed. Censorship shall be prohibited."
New York Times, March 4, 2022:
Russia ...
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Why had Soviet Union always sided with India?
Soviet Union and present day Russia is always regarded as close ally of India.
It is well demonstrated by the 6 Soviet vetoed UN resolutions against India.
Even when India declared it's policy of non-...
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What would it take to require Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine?
According to this about $1 trillion dollars of Russian assets have been frozen by the international community
This money is currently 'frozen', not 'taken' i.e. there's an expectation that it will at ...
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Who is the Russian military commander in charge of the war on Ukraine?
It seems like we are only hearing from Putin about the military operations. When we hear about Russian generals it's about them getting killed, like Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of 41st Army.
Which ...
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Apart from Serbia, have there been pro-Russia/pro-Putin demonstrations in other countries, since the war started?
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60630351
Up to 4,000 people have taken part in a pro-Russia demonstration in the Serbian capital.
Friday's march was a show of support for Moscow after its ...
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Why did Russia inform the IAEA about taking control of the territory around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station two days before attacking it?
On March 2:
Russia has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that its military forces have taken control of the territory around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), ...
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Why is Russia not considered a European Country?
Russia looks very much like mainland Europe, it dresses like mainland Europe, but it is not considered part of Europe. This is not a recent phenomenon. Even since the time of the Tzar's, especially ...
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If Russia wins what will happen to the sanctions long term? [duplicate]
Suppose Putin "wins" by
killing Zelenskyj
staging a "democratic" election
instating a new Russian friendly government
withdrawing all Russian troops
What will happen to the ...
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How do US and EU mitigate the risk of Chinese influence increasing in Russia following the recent sanctions?
China will not join the sanctions against Russia and a plethora of Western companies are leaving Russia.
This creates some sort of "economical vacuum" which might increase Chinese ...
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Which statements about the War in Ukraine are now criminal in Russia?
I read that the Duma in Russia has passed a law that provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison for making certain statements about the war, for example using terms such as “attack,” “invasion,...
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Why doesn't any nuclear power country which is supporting Ukraine hand them a Nuclear Bomb?
Some 25 nations were on the call and all said they would continue to contribute aid, some saying for the first time their support will include lethal assistance. NATO was also represented.
In addition,...
user42212
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Have any high-level EU politicians said what the response would be if Russia damages an Ukrainian nuclear reactor, releasing a massive radiation wave?
The questions seem less than theoretical, with news reports of a fire at Ukrainian nuclear reactor (at Zaporizhzhia), which can't be extinguished due to fighting.
(N.B. insofar the fire is localized ...
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Did anybody expect Russie to invade? [closed]
Russia have always stated that Ukraine into NATO was a "red line" issue. It doesn't seem like that statement was respected, and now here we are, with Russia invading Ukraine.
My question is, ...
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Why isn't Putin excommunicated by the orthodox church? [closed]
I wonder: Why isn't Putin excommunicated by the orthodox church?
It seems he likes to show up as Christian in church for political reasons, but what he does is not Christian at all.
Or does the ...
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Is it illegal for Russia to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy?
There are some actions in war that are designated as war crimes, such as targeting civilians, torture, and systematic sexual violence or enslavement. Some of these actions hinge on the definition of &...
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Is there any meaningful purpose in stopping selling consumer goods to Russia?
So, my newsfeed had an item about "H&M" stopping selling things to Russa, as well as a score of other random retailers (Nike? etc...).
I can sort of see the possible argument about ...
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Could Russia have invaded only Donetsk and Luhansk?
Could Putin have conducted the war in such a way that he only invades the separatist-controlled areas of the Donbass instead of launching a full-scale attack on the whole of Ukraine, or would that ...
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Is it first time in history that ongoing war was halted for few hours to evacuate people?
I am referring to Indian Prime Minister Modi second phone call to Putin during Russo-Ukraine conflicts, to get help to evacuate stranded Indian Students in Ukraine. So Putin halted his war for 6 hours....
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To what does US Army Lt. General H. R. McMaster refer saying that Germany's Social Democratic Party has a 'deep and unnatural affinity' for Russia?
CNN's March 3, 2022 video H.R. McMaster on how NATO is holding up against Vladimir Putin's stress test includes the following statements by United States Army lieutenant general, Senior Fellow at the ...
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What reasoning did Eritrea provide for its vote on the UN resolution against the war in Ukraine?
In the recent UN General Assembly resolution denouncing Russia's actions in Ukraine, only four countries were opposed, besides Russia itself.
We have Belarus, a close ally of Russia that is involved ...
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Concretely speaking, what is at stake for Ukranians during the current Ukraine-Russia conflict?
Apologies for the controversial question, but this is something I'm curious about.
Historically, and particularly in recent history, invasions of one country into another are generally justified as &...
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Are there any official or stated end conditions for US/EU sanctions on Russia?
When the US or EU placed economic sanctions on Russia for their invasion of Ukraine, were there any official or stated ending conditions upon which sanctions would be lifted? Or are the sanctions ...
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Why didn't Ukraine and NATO simply pretend to agree to Russia's demands? [closed]
Russia have invaded Ukraine to prevent their admission into NATO. Prior to the invasion, Russia made it clear that they wanted assurances that this would not happen.
Why didn't NATO and Ukraine just ...
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