February 4:
Russia's media outreach is increasingly feeling the pinch of Western economic pressure. "The plunging value of the ruble is forcing even Russia's state-funded international television channel RT to face reality," write George Washington University's Robert Orttung and Elizabeth Nelson in The Moscow Times. The effects are notable. "Fewer resources will necessarily cut RT's reach through traditional media, but will not automatically reduce its capacity to disrupt the West's ability to respond coherently to Russian aggression in Ukraine," Orttung and Nelson warn. Concretely, they point out, RT's budget has continued to grow - but at a slower pace than predicted as a result of "Russia's economic difficulties."
February 5:
Russia is sensing an opportunity in Europe. The Associated Press reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has reached out to Greece's new prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, with an invitation to visit Moscow in May. Tsipras, whose left-wing SYRIZA party swept to power in late January, has already come out publicly as a Kremlin stalwart, taking credit for blocking European passage of new sanctions on Moscow in response to the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
February 6:
A 2008 Pentagon study of Vladimir Putin is generating a firestorm of controversy. According to NDTV, the report - prepared for the Pentagon's long-range think tank, the Office of Net Assessment - analyzed the Russian president's body movements and facial expressions and concluded that he has Aspberger's Syndrome, a form of autism. The disorder "affects all of his decisions," according to the author, Brenda Connors of the Naval War College. "During crisis, to stabilise himself and his perceptions of any evolving context he reverts to imposing extreme control." The disorder also causes the Russian leader to "withdraw from social stimulation as he did at the time of the Kursk nuclear submarine incident" in the year 2000, the study concludes. Although produced years ago, the report was released only recently pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Despite Russia's ongoing economic crisis, its defense manufacturers are doing well. CNN Money reports that famed armaments firm Kalashnikov doubled its production last year, earning 3 billion rubles ($45 million) in revenue, up 28% compared to 2013 figures. The cause for the surge, according to company executives, are new customers in Asia and Africa. But the domestic market also clearly plays a part, given that the Russian military and law enforcement agencies are among its most important customers.
Like that of other defense firms in Russia, Kalashnikov's future is bright amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Russia's deteriorating relations with the West. The company expects its production to jump by as much as a quarter this year, thanks largely to an 85% increase in Russian military spending that is expected to take place between 2012 and 2017.
February 7:
NATO's top military official is warning against Western complacency in Ukraine. "I don't think we should preclude out of hand the possibility of the military option," General Philip Breedlove, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, told reporters at the annual Munich Security Conference in comments carried by Reuters. "The Ukrainians have been straightforward in their request to all the nations of NATO and other nations as well about the capabilities they need to address artillery problems, to address communications problems and jamming problems. The Ukrainians have asked for help in all of those areas and those are the areas that nations are discussing."