Anton Mardasov

Russia and the Difficulty of Maintaining Role of Moderator

According to a recent poll by the government-affiliated Russian Public Opinion Research Center, one in two Russians fears a prospect of nuclear war to one degree or another. Anxiety associated with the possibility of a local conflict with Ukraine or the West in Syria escalating into World War III…

What Damascus Does Not Understand About Moscow?

Officials in Moscow have so far tried to frame the conference on refugee returns that was held in Damascus on 11-12 November as a sincere attempt on behalf of the Syrian regime who cares about the fate of their citizens. Yet it is precisely this kind of behavior that sows confusion among the…