February 26, 2023

Not That Way


Not That Way
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz in the Kremlin in Moscow. Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Wikimedia Commons

Russian President Vladimir Putin revoked a 2012 decree that outlined the previous course of Russian foreign policy. 

According to the revoked decree, Russia aimed to "develop friendly relations between states based on equality, respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity" and to "defend the lack of alternatives to the political and diplomatic settlement of regional conflicts." 

In particular, Russia was supposed to "actively participate in the search for ways to solve the Transnistrian problem based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and neutral status of the Republic of Moldova." 

Transnistria is an unrecognized state that is officially a part of Moldova but has been occupied by pro-Russian separatist forces and Russian troops since the 1990s, making it a textbook case of a Russia-caused frozen conflict. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine the "Transnistrian problem" has become a powder keg: the Institute for the Study of War reports that Russia is readying an offensive campaign in Moldova. The new prime minister of Moldova has called for a "demilitarization" of Transnistria.

But that's not all. The 2012 decree also called on Russia to strive for economic integration with European countries. Putin's plan included the conclusion of agreements with the EU on abolishing visas for short-term trips and developing an "energy partnership in order to create a single energy complex."

The revoked decree also suggested a rapprochement with the United States. In particular, Putin wanted Russia to strive for "stable and predictable interaction, based on the principles of equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for mutual interests," promote initiatives to liberalize the visa regime, and "consistently implement" a nuclear arms reduction treaty. This treaty limited the number of Russian and US nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and bombers, all aimed at ending the arms race.

This is not the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine that Putin has changed Russia's strategic plans. On January 25, 2023, Putin amended the Decree on the Basics of State Cultural Policy. According to the new version of that document, Russia no longer unites "East and West" and is not modernizing, but instead protects its "traditional values" and "cultural sovereignty."

You Might Also Like

Russia's Year of Horror
  • February 24, 2023

Russia's Year of Horror

After a year of horrific war, why does a magazine like Russian Life continue? Why not simply wash our hands of it and walk away?
Stalin Returns to Volgograd
  • February 05, 2023

Stalin Returns to Volgograd

A new bust of Stalin has been erected in Volgograd, raising questions about the identity of the city.
A Year of Decline
  • December 31, 2022

A Year of Decline

Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country.
The Threat from Abroad
  • December 28, 2022

The Threat from Abroad

Putin has issued a call to hunt down spies and saboteurs. The State Duma has prepared new “anti-sabotage” laws.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955