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Andrew Osborn
For Andrew Osborn's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Alexandra Skochilenko, a 33-year-old artist charged with spreading false information about Russia's armed forces, is escorted during a court hearing in St. Petersburg on Nov. 8.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2023
Lawyers seek release of Russian artist who staged anti-war protest
Alexandra Skochilenko has spent over 1½ years in prison in St. Petersburg as the Russian legal system deals with her case.
Russian lawmakers attend a session of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, in Moscow in 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2023
Russian lawmakers asked to study revoking nuclear test ban treaty
Revoking the ratification would send a warning that Moscow can fundamentally change the assumptions of post-Cold War nuclear planning.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev prior to a meeting in Brussels on May 14
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2023
In taking Karabakh, Azerbaijan's president avenged his father
A confluence of factors had convinced Ilham Aliyev, 61, that the time was right to do something his father couldn't.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2023
Where are Russia's top generals? Rumors swirl after mercenary mutiny
Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny. Absent from view too is Gen. Sergei Surovikin.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 28, 2023
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko feted in Russia after mutiny role
It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending the Wagner mutiny that threatened to destabilize the world's largest nuclear power.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 6, 2023
Russia's mercenary boss deepens fog of Ukraine war while deflecting blame
The announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, that his fighters will abandon the city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2023
Kremlin drone incident gives Putin cover to deepen Ukraine war
Inside Russia, the incident helped reinforce the Kremlin-backed narrative that its war in Ukraine is an existential one for the Russian state and people.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2023
Kremlin critic jailed for 25 years for treason
Vladimir Kara-Murza spoke out against President Vladimir Putin for years and successfully lobbied Western governments to impose sanctions on Russia.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 14, 2023
Kremlin moves to rein in Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin
The founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has grabbed headlines over his role in Ukraine and is sometimes portrayed in the West as a real-life James Bond villain.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 14, 2023
Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success
Prominent Putin supporters have contrasted the Wagner Group's progress with what they say has been a less impressive performance by the regular military.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 21, 2022
Russia's 'General Armageddon' under pressure to deliver after retreat
Sergei Surovikin recommended Moscow's forces quit Kherson, and now the Hero of Russia recipient is under pressure on the cusp of winter to show his bet was the right one.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Oct 19, 2022
Putin is safe in power for now, but risks lie ahead, current and former officials say
Russian leader's grip on power remains firm despite military setbacks in Ukraine, a botched mobilization and political infighting, eight well-informed sources say.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2022
Will a cornered Putin follow through on his nuclear threats?
In his most recent comments, Putin explicitly warned the West that he would use all available means to defend Russian territory.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 24, 2022
Putin bets winter gas chokehold will yield Ukraine peace — on his terms
According to sources familiar with Kremlin thinking, this may be the only path to victory that Moscow sees, given Kyiv's defiant stance.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 29, 2021
'Erasing history': Russia closes top rights group, capping year of crackdowns
The closure of Memorial International bookmarks a year in which Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin's top critic, was jailed, his movement banned and many of his allies forced to flee.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 25, 2021
Putin's Ukraine gambit seen as part of play for new Biden summit
The other big aim is to signal to the West that it should stop helping Ukraine upgrade its military, sources say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2021
Moscow accuses U.S. of rehearsing nuclear strike on Russia earlier this month
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said flights by U.S. strategic bombers have more than doubled, with the planes coming within 20 kilometers of the Russian border during recent drills.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 15, 2021
Russia and China hold joint naval drills in Sea of Japan
The war games run from Oct. 14-17, involving warships from Russia's Pacific Fleet, including mine-sweepers and submarines.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2021
'New normal': Kremlin says tough approach to Alexei Navalny allies here to stay
The Kremlin and its loyalists have said they will maintain and in some cases intensify their tough approach to internal and external critics they view as a threat to Russia's stability.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2021
How Russia's new gulag tries to break convicts like Alexei Navalny
Six former inmates and a former prisons inspector spoke of regular beatings by guards, sexual assaults and severe psychological pressure at a facility near Moscow.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?