Russia & Caucasus

An LNG tanker successfully sailed to Asia via the Arctic Ocean early this year, the first time the journey has been managed in winter. (Kyodo photo/courtesy of Sovcomflot)
Comment

Siberia's warming shows climate change has no winners

Melting permafrost offers opportunities but poses calamitous risks

14 March 2021
Russia's Far Eastern port of Vladivostok is a key trade target for India, whose foreign secretary last week said the resource-rich region holds "huge potential."
International relations

India seeks economic energy in Russian Far East, countering China

New Delhi hungry for region's resources and wary of tighter Moscow-Beijing ties

22 February 2021
Under Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar has bought Russian weaponry including MiG-29 jet fighters and the Pantsir-S1 missile system. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar embraces Russian arms to offset China's influence

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cultivates military ties and more with Moscow

9 February 2021
A protester is detained by police during a rally on Jan. 23 in Yakutsk, Russia, in -50 C weather. (Photo by Alexey Vasilyev)
Politics

Navalny stirs dissent in Siberia's icy land of diamonds and gas

In Russia's remote Sakha, old grievances fuel new worries for Putin and China alike

8 February 2021
Vials of the Sputnik V vaccine, officially called Gam-COVID-Vac, are seen on a production line in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Coronavirus

Russia pulls ahead of China in Central Asia vaccine diplomacy

Sputnik V gains traction as working with Beijing grows politically awkward

7 February 2021
Moscow welcomes a treaty extension as it wants to avoid another costly arms buildup. (Source photos by Reuters)
Comment

New START extension only benefits Russia and China

As Biden gives Putin a gift, he fails to lay out a cohesive disarmament plan

2 February 2021
Russian S-400 missile air defense systems are seen during a training exercise at a military base in Kaliningrad region, Russia.
International relations

India and Russia move forward with missile deal in blow to Biden

New Delhi to dispatch 100 personnel to train on S-400 anti-aircraft system

28 January 2021
Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets perform at an airshow in 2018: The military is reportedly replacing the jets' Russian engines with domestic ones.
International relations

China rises from Russian customer to competitor in arms industry

Beijing's ability to package guns and economic deals threatens Moscow's revenue

22 January 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping tour the Kremlin after their talks in Moscow in June 2019. (Kremlin via Reuters)
International relations

Russia deepens China ties with expanded energy exports

Doubling of coal trade aimed to supplant that with Australia

6 January 2021
Human rights activist Le Van Dun, right, livestreams on Facebook in a coffee shop in Hanoi.
Technology

Asia dilemma: social networks pressed by Turkey and Vietnam to censor critics

YouTube and Facebook weigh reputation damage of bowing to repressive governments

3 January 2021
Bitcoin is riding a wave of investment into the new year.
Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin breaks $30,000 barrier for first time

Rally continues to gain steam in New Year

3 January 2021
Honda at a past Moscow International Motor Show: The automaker is heading for the exit from this underperforming market. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Automobiles

Honda to stop selling cars in Russia in 2022 after failing to make dent

Market with under 2,000 cars sold per year becomes latest target for retreat

1 January 2021
In an interview with Nikkei Asia, SOCAR's vice president said "there are no obstacles left to build new pipelines in the Caspian Sea." (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
International relations

Azerbaijan readies gas for EU as Central Asia energy hopes soar

Caspian output to reach Europe while Turkmenistan eyes supplier role, SOCAR says

30 December 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to incoming U.S. President Joe Biden: Be careful or Russia might team up with China.
Interview

Putin's real intention in talking up a Russia-China alliance

Carnegie Moscow chief says Kremlin prizes 'independence' but wants Biden to beware

17 December 2020
A missile launched from a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft system soars over the Ashuluk shooting range outside Astrakhan, Russia. The country's military has deployed an advanced version of the S-300 on a disputed island claimed by Japan.
International relations

Russian military buildup in Northeast Asia rattles Japan and US

Moscow puts advanced missiles on Hokkaido doorstep amid talk of China alliance

16 December 2020
The volcanoes of the Kamchatka were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. (Photo courtesy of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy city government)
Economy

Russian Far East to woo Asian tourists with Kamchatka resort

$500m hotel and ski area to be sited near World Heritage-listed volcanos

26 November 2020
A BrahMos supersonic cruise missile launcher rolls past during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi in January 2015.
International relations

Philippines set to be first buyer of India-Russia cruise missile

BrahMos will boost Manila's coastal defenses, raising concern for China

22 November 2020
Dead shellfish and other sea creatures have washed up on Avacha Bay in Russia, and Greenpeace Russia is analyzing the water quality. (Source photos by Yohei Ishikawa and TASS/Kyodo) 
Environment

Mysterious marine die-off rattles Russian Far East

Local government points to red tide, but environmentalists suspect chemical leak

20 November 2020
"For many businesses forced to close their doors during lockdowns, Facebook and Instagram have been a lifeline," writes Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Opinion

How an open internet can power Asia-Pacific's economic recovery

Everyone should have the opportunity to be part of the digital future

19 November 2020
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin: Analysts suggest difficult relations between the two will push Moscow deeper into China's orbit. (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
US elections 2020

For Russia, Biden's rise strengthens China's gravitational pull

Analysts in Moscow say Putin won't be counting on a 'reset' with US

17 November 2020
The contentious U.S. presidential election should be an opportunity to demonstrate how democracy is still superior to authoritarianism, as practiced in China and elsewhere. (Source photos by Reuters)
Comment

No, China, America's messy election doesn't mean democracy fails

Voter accountability beats authoritarianism's fast decision-making in the end

12 November 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Nov. 10. He and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear to be joining hands in anticipation of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden taking office.
International relations

Xi and Putin slam 'foreign interference' with eye on Biden

China and Russia wary of a US administration vocal on human rights, democracy

11 November 2020
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin outlined the country's plans to produce and export hydrogen.
Interview

Russia plans to export hydrogen to Asia in green shift

Deputy energy minister Sorokin: Moscow plans to ship 2m tons by 2035

4 November 2020
Activists hold the Georgian and the U.S. flags during a rally in Tbilisi on June 20: the results could decide whether the country's westward journey continues or falters.
Opinion

Georgia parliamentary elections a case study in influence

China stands to gain if voters reject further tilt to the West

28 October 2020
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke in an interview with Nikkei in Baku on Oct. 21.
Interview

Q&A with Azerbaijan President Aliyev: peace with Armenia 'remote'

But leader remains open to three-way meeting with Yerevan and Moscow

22 October 2020