Putin
Why Russian literature shouldn’t be cancelled
Russians must mobilise their own culture against Putin
Putin’s emperor complex
Did Vladimir Putin ever use his infamous ‘historical’ account of Russia-Ukraine relations to consider how Ukrainians might react to his…
Read: Vladimir Putin's victory day speech in full
The following is The Spectator’s translation of Putin’s speech for victory day 2022. Most respected citizens of Russia, dear veterans,…
What makes a ‘just’ war?
What is a just war? Those who, from St Augustine onwards, have debated the question usually begin with Cicero, the…
Ukraine, the Roman army and why morale matters
Commentators talk much about the morale of the Ukrainian troops and the edge that this has given them over the…
Bitter harvest – how Ukraine’s wheat has always been coveted
Publishers love books with ambitious subtitles such as ‘How Bubblegum Made the Modern World’, and this one’s, about American wheat…
Why so many African leaders support Putin
Why so many African leaders support Putin
How Putin weaponised the Russian Orthodox church
How Putin weaponised the Russian Orthodox church
Putin is devouring his children
Like the Greek titan Cronos devouring his own children, Vladimir Putin seems determined to turn against those he was once…
The three stumbling blocks to a Ukraine peace deal
A month in, and the war in Ukraine looks very different to how anyone expected. On the first day of…
Patriarch Kirill, Archbishop Ambrose and a lesson for Putin
Patriarch Kirill is Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church; and one of his…
Inside Putin’s mind: the lessons of Chechnya
The lessons of Chechnya
Turkey’s dilemma: whose side is Erdogan on?
Can Turkey’s President broker a peace deal?
Why I drove a lorry to Poland
‘Why the hell did you hire a lorry without a spare tyre?’ asked Rizvana. Fair question. Luckily we had just…
Francis Fukuyama on Ukraine, liberalism and identity politics
This week, Sam Leith spoke to Francis Fukuyama – the author of ‘The End of History and the Last Man’ and…
It doesn’t matter if Putin is mad
Mike Tyson put it simply: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’. And Vladimir Putin has…
Russia has never been a part of the West
In 1697 Tsar Peter the Great set out on a great journey across western Europe, seeking the support of European…
Why do Russian tennis stars need to condemn Putin?
Nigel Huddleston is Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society, hardly the biggest job in government. Yet…
The fatal miscalculation that led to war in Ukraine
The war against Ukraine – or the ‘special military operation’ as it is compulsorily known in Moscow – has lasted…
Why does everything ‘embolden’ Putin?
The most emboldened man on earth must be Vladimir Putin. Everything seems to embolden him. Treating Russia as a pariah…
What if Putin hasn’t miscalculated – but the West has?
Has the West miscalculated?
The myth that Russia and Ukraine are fighting over
It seems strange now that any of us ever imagined that Putin might not invade. He thinks of Ukraine as…
What Tacitus knew about tyrants
Last week Aristotle offered a lesson in tyrant theory. This week Tacitus (ad 56-c.120) offers one in tyrant practice. Tacitus…
The courage on Ukraine’s front line
Central to the question of whether or not Ukraine can survive as an independent state is that of re-supply, not…
My one-way ticket out of Moscow
Things fall apart. Moscow friends call to say that I have to urgently send my 19-year-old son out of Russia.…
