Ukraine

Note by the editors: this is a contribution from an author in Russia, whose identity, affiliation and qualifications are known to the editors. In line with our policy and in light of the grave and ongoing threats to academic freedom and freedom of expression in Russia, the author has requested to remain anonymous.

Announcements and decisions of the Council of Europe (CoE) and Russia regarding the latter’s membership in the CoE have been outdating each other over the past few days. Upon unanimous request of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), the Committee of Ministers (CoM) decided on 16 March 2022 to exclude Russia from the CoE as of that date.

Introduction Early morning 24 February, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, with already devastating consequences for civilians. As a response to this flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the EU, the UK and the US have imposed expansive sanctions on Russia. Even though these sanctions ban certain trade, or freeze assets…

For too long, a great deal of energy has been invested in trying to decipher obscure statements made by Vladimir Putin (a true “masterclass of disinformation”: Åslund 2021; cf. Kappeler 2021). Now that Putin has started a war of aggression against Ukraine, it is high time that we take his denials of Ukrainian statehood and…