February 27:
In his latest editorial for RIA-Novosti, presidential hopeful (and sitting prime minister) Vladimir Putin outlined his vision for Russian foreign policy. "We do not wish to and cannot isolate ourselves," Putin maintained, but declared that "we intend to be consistent in proceeding from our own interests and goals rather than decisions dictated by someone else." The article articulated optimism for Russia's future on the international stage, but also hinted that Moscow's relationship with the internaitonal community could turn more competitive - and adversarial. On the subject of NATO and the UN, for example, Putin noted that "It seems that NATO members, especially the United States, have developed a peculiar interpretation of security that is different from ours. The Americans have become obsessed with the idea of becoming absolutely invulnerable."
In fact, Putin's wide-ranging commentary on the current international system was most critical of U.S.-Russian relations - an area of particular focus for the Obama administration. While “a good deal has been done to develop Russian-American relations” in recent years, Putin wrote, the relationship between the two countries remains fundamentally unstable. Bilateral ties, he noted, currently lack a “solid economic foundation,” in terms of both trading and investing, and have been dented by America's “regular attempts to engage in ‘political engineering’” in Russia - a thinly- veiled reference to Kremlin accusations that Washington is seeking to engineer a Russian "Spring." Putin also reiterated the Kremlin’s opposition to the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in Europe, and called for redoubled arms control efforts.
Ukrainian officials have announced the arrest of two individuals charged with plotting to assassinate Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The attack was planned for the days following Russia’s presidential elections,reports the BBC. Both men confessed to the plot on state television, with one claiming to have been hired by Chechen militant leaders Doku Umarov and Ruslan Madayev, who was killed in an explosion back in January. The other suspect was identified as Adam Osmayev, who was allegedly on the most wanted list since 2007. The men apparently planned to place mines on Kutuzovsky Avenue in Moscow, which Putin traverses daily.
February 29:
The U.S. State Department has blocked two million dollars’ worth of funding from a Moscow-based research institute after a review found that the money might be used for the country’s nuclear program. According to theWashington Times, the International Science and Technology Center aimed to use the funding for work “on controlling the space flight of vehicles using a process known as magneto-plasma aerodynamics” - a procedure which has direct applications to UAV and missile systems. Russian researchers are known to be developing new strategic warheads that would travel in space before re-entering the atmosphere at extremely high speeds. Such a system is aimed at defeating U.S. anti-missile capabilities, leading Washington to conclude that the funding could contribute to a threat to U.S. national security.
March 1:
The Chevron Corporation is in talks with senior Russian officials over a potential Arctic exploration project. The negotiations began shortly after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin indicated this spring that he would allow non-state companies to operate in Russia’s northern seas. To sweeten the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports, the Ministry for Natural Resources and Chevron additionally “discussed changes to the investment climate and tax regime for oil companies operating in the country.” Currently, only Russian oil companies Rosneft and Gazprom have rights to the area, but concerns over a drop in the country’s hydrocarbon production prompted the policy change.
March 2:
Russia has surprised many with an offer to resume official diplomac relations with neighboring Georgia, the New York Times reports. Interactions between the two countries were officially severed in 2008, during the short war waged by Moscow and Tbilisi over the status of Georgia’s separatist regions. The offer was made only two days after Georgian officials lifted visa requirements for Russian citizens entering Georgia, and came with the proviso that Tbilisi remove its troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The move constitutes a considerable reversal; until recently, Russian leaders refused to meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whom they blame for the 2008 war. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has even gone so far as to call his Georgian counterpart “insane.” Relations between the two countries only began to improve recently, in large part because of a Swiss-brokered 2011 deal that provided for Russia’s entry into the WTO.