Steve Rosenberg: Russia Restricts Telegram, Russian MP Claims It's for "The Defence of the Information Frontline.”

February 11, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Reading Russia Weekend Extra: Memories of a NATO Visit to Moscow.

Feb 8, 2026 | I’m back with another Reading Russia Weekend Extra. In this edition: what the Russian papers have been saying about talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi and the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, plus memories of a NATO chief visiting Moscow 25 years ago.

Steve Rosenberg: “Several Think Tanks Warning of a Recession in Russia": Russian Paper

Feb 6, 2026 | From today’s Russian papers: “You don’t have to be an economist to forecast a recession: Russia’s export revenue is falling, budget revenues are falling, taxes rising, consumer demand shrinking…” Another paper: “Oil & gas revenues fall…rise in bread prices.” Also today, what the Russian papers are saying about the two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

Was Jeffrey Epstein Trying to Blackmail People for Russia Using Compromising Material? | DW News

Feb 5, 2026 | Last Friday, US authorities released another batch of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, if you need reminding, was a convicted sex offender. He died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting another trial for running a sex trafficking operation involving underage girls. The latest release – made up of more than 3 million documents, images, and videos – gives new insights into Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful.

It is also fuelling speculation that Epstein could have been working for Russia. The suspicion is that Epstein would lure his powerful connections into sexual encounters, which were then used for the purposes of blackmail.

This tactic is synonymous with Russian intelligence, who have their very own name for this compromising material: 'kompromat'. At least one European leader appears to be taking the potential Russian connection very seriously – Polish prime minister Donald Tusk. He has ordered a probe into whether Epstein's activities were directed by the Kremlin.

Steve Rodenberg: What Are the Russian Papers Saying about Peace Talks on Ukraine?

Feb 4, 2026 | No hint of compromise from Moscow ahead of peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The Russian government paper: “We’ll continue strikes until Kyiv signs a peace deal on our terms.” Other papers today focus on the economy: “India cuts Russian oil imports 3 ½ times,” “systemic banking crisis”, “car sales down.”

Epstein Was 'Effectively Involved in Russian Organised Crime' | Christopher Steele

Feb 3, 2026 | “They’ve tracked Epstein’s activities and operations back to the 1970s.”

Former head of MI6’s Russia desk, Christopher Steele, says it appears to him that, as early as the 1970s, Epstein was “effectively involved in Russian organised crime.”

Steve Rosenberg: In Russia "Uncertainty, Lack of Money, Economic Crisis" Fuelling Anxiety: Russian Paper

Feb 2, 2026 | Today one Russian paper reports that “Russians’ anxiety has increased due to uncertainty, a lack of money, the economic crisis and a decline in production.” Another writes about an increase in “depression, anxiety & stress disorders” in Russia.

Steve Rosenberg: Reading Russia Weekend Extra

In “Reading Russia Weekend Extra”: what the Russian papers are saying about Russia’s economy, an interview with a newspaper chief, plus details of our film for BBC Panorama: ‘Our Man in Moscow’ is on @BBCOne at 8pm on Feb 2nd. Also on @BBCiPlayer

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Paper Concerned about "Off-switch for the Internet"

Jan 29, 2026 | With the FSB set to secure broad powers to cut communications, one Russian paper today criticises the idea: “It is impossible to imagine the functioning of a modern economy without a functioning Internet.”

Another paper looks at prices in 2026: “Vodka up 17%, cucumbers up 21.3%.”

Trump Exposed for Displaying Framed Photo with Putin on White House Wall | Sir Bill Browder

Jan 28, 2026 | Sir Bill Browder joins Maddie Hale to discuss reports the United States will only provide security guarantees to Ukraine if it gives up the Donbas to Russia, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin offers Donald Trump a way to receive a Nobel Peace Prize and a keen-eyed reporter finds a framed photo of the US President and Vladimir Putin hanging on a wall near the West Wing.

Did We Underestimate the SECRET FORCES that Put Trump into Power? Heidi Siegmund Cuda

Jan 26, 2026 | Heidi Siegmund Cuda (Bette Dangerous blog on Substack) joins the program to talk about her latest article, GHOSTING IN, AND GHOSTING OUT: We can’t just move on from foreign influence campaigns.

Why Trump Sides with Putin | The David Frum Show

Jan 21, 2026 | On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum examines one of the most consequential deceptions of the Trump presidency: the insistence that grocery prices are falling when Americans know from lived experience that they are not. David explains how tariffs and trade policy are deliberately driving food costs higher, why Trump keeps lying about it, and how breaking this promise strikes at the core of the fragile trust between voters and government.

Then David is joined by Fiona Hill, a former adviser to three U.S. presidents and a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment, to analyze how Vladimir Putin sees the world and why Trump remains so drawn to strongman power. Frum and Hill discuss Putin’s long game in Ukraine, Trump’s archaic and backward worldview, and how Trump’s presidency has been a gift to Putin while steadily eroding American credibility abroad.

Finally, David closes the episode with a discussion of “Among the Believers,” by V. S. Naipaul, reflecting on the Iranian Revolution and why authoritarian regimes repeatedly fail at modernity.

Despite Trump’s Words, China and Russia Are Not Threatening Greenland

THE NEW YORK TIMES: U.S. and European officials say they are unaware of any intelligence that shows China and Russia are endangering the island, which is protected by the NATO security umbrella.

Fourteen years ago, a Chinese icebreaker called the Snow Dragon made a long and surprising voyage.

Over three months in the summer, the scientific research vessel crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic, traversing nearly 5,400 nautical miles of the Arctic Ocean, a first for China. The crew discovered that melting ice meant the ship could travel through the remote region without great difficulty, the expedition leader told reporters after docking in Iceland.

“To our astonishment,” said the leader, Huigen Yang, “most part of the Northern Sea Route is open.”

American and European officials took notice at the time and began keeping a close watch on China’s moves in the Arctic.

But while China has talked about expanding trade and access to shipping lanes and natural resources in the Arctic, it has developed only a small footprint there over the years. And even as China and Russia compete with the United States in many parts of the world, they do not present a threat to American interests in or near Greenland, say experts on those two superpowers and current and former U.S. officials, including intelligence analysts.

Those findings contrast sharply with assertions by President Trump, who has repeatedly cited security as the reason he wants to acquire Greenland. In a speech on Wednesday at an annual forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said Greenland was an “enormous, unsecured island” that was a “core national security interest of the United States of America.” » | Edward Wong | Edward Wong reports from Washington on U.S. foreign policy and is a former Beijing bureau chief for The Times who has a written a book about China. | Saturday, January 24, 2026

Does anyone really believe the poppycock that Greenland’s security is momentarily endangered by Russia or China?

Trump wants Greenland for ONE main reason, and for one MAIN reason only: He wants to ENRICH HIMSELF and PROFIT. That’s all he ever seems to want to do anyway. I don’t believe that Trump is working for the good of the American people; rather, I believe he is working for the good of himself, his family, and his cronies. Where there is money involved, he’s there! Trump is not far away.

Trump is a climate change denier. But, ironically, it is because of climate change that so many treasures are going to be made available for mining/ The more the earth warms, the greater the treasures made available for exploitation: rare earths, gold, minerals, and significant oil and gas reserves, and much else besides, yet unknown. It’s a treasure trove that would benefit Trump, the usurper. That’s why he wants Greenland, and for little else. Had it not been for climate change, I doubt that Trump would even have uttered the word Greenland!

Fact is, a known crook has been re-elected to the White House, and that crook is using his presidency as a cash cow. That’s the long and the short of it. However, he must not be allowed to have ANY sovereignty over Greenland. Greenland and its vast riches belong to the Greenlanders and the Danes and to nobody else. — © Mark Alexander

Steve Rosenberg: “Trump Has Decided to Sink the EU": Russian Paper Writing about Greenland.

Jan 21, 2026 | “Trump has decided to sink the European Union,” declares one Russian paper today writing about Greenland. Lots about Greenland in the Russian press. But also domestic economic problems: “Prices ready to soar”, Moscow cafes closing & “Russia’s car industry completely dependent on China’s.”

'It's Farcical' | Putin Named to Gaza Peace Board as Ukrainians Freeze in Kyiv | Jimmy Rushton

Jan 19, 2026 | On today's episode of Superpowers, James is joined by Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst Jimmy Rushton to discuss the recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, Greenland, and Putin's appointment to the Gaza board of peace.

Farage´s “Behaviour of Putin’s Puppet” | Outside Views on Brexit and the UK

January 17, 2026

Nicholas II — The Last Tsar of Russia

9 Jul 2020 | Emperor Nicholas II reigned for 22 years. With his murder, the last Orthodox Christian monarch, along with the thousand-year history of thrones and crowns in Russia, ended, ushering in an era of lawlessness, apostasy, and confusion, one which would sweep Holy Orthodox Russia into an abyss which would last more than 70 years.

A video production presented by Paul Gilbert, who did the research for this tribute, within the framework of the project for the book “The Romanov Royal Martyrs”.

“The Romanov Royal Martyrs” is an impressive 512-page book, featuring nearly 200 black & white photographs, and a 56-page photo insert of more than 80 high-quality images, colourized by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (Klimbim), and appearing here in print for the first time.

The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II

23 Apr 2020 | The ceremony of the Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II took place in May 1896 in Moscow. The ceremonies began on Thursday, May 9, with the Imperial Procession into the city from the Petrovsky Palace. The Emperor went on horseback, followed by two golden carriages, containing the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna in the first, and the young Tsarina in the second. May 10 and II were days of ceremonial receptions. On May 12, Trinity Sunday, the Banner of State was consecrated with the Imperial Regalia that was delivered from the Armory to the Throne Hall of the Kremlin Palace. May 14, saw the Coronation itself with the procession to the Assumption Cathedral under a baldachin.

This video is an excerpt from a special edition entitled "In the Path of Love and Blood", featuring 30 minutes of high-quality newsreel footage from the Russian State Documentary Film & Photo Archive (RGAKFD) and photographs from the Russian State Archives (GARF). The total runtime is 40 mins. …

Russia Issues Shock NUCLEAR Warning To U.S. After Maduro Capture from Caracas? 'Long Live Nukes'

Jan 3, 2025 | Russia’s reaction to the U.S. strike on Venezuela has taken a dramatic turn. Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian security official and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, issued a blistering statement condemning Washington’s actions and accusing the United States of abducting a legally elected leader. But it was Medvedev’s final message that sent shockwaves globally. Arguing that diplomacy has failed and international law is ignored, he claimed that only maximum military strength — including nuclear weapons — can protect a nation from foreign intervention. His closing words, “Long live nuclear weapons,” are now being interpreted as a veiled warning to the United States and its allies.

Steve Rosenberg: I Ask Russians: How Do You See Your Lives Five Years from Now?

Jan 1, 2026 | On the streets of Moscow I ask Russians: what are your hopes for 2026 and how do you see your lives five years from now? Among the responses: “That depends on Vladimir Putin. On what mood he’ll be in.” Another reply: “Five years from now? If I can manage 10 days that's good.”