There is no supervision at all, and the army just stews in its own juice.

Hazing is not breaking the rules, it is the rule itself.

The government views the media as a tool to deliver information about its decisions, like it was in the Soviet times. It only gives the information it wants to give.

The Chinese want to use Russia in a complicated game with the U.S. and Taiwan. China is expanding its military presence in the region. For Russia, this is mostly about selling weapons.

The whole concept of the Russian military is based on a World War II plan of mass mobilization of troops.