Vladimir Putin
Our coverage of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, including his relationships with China and the West, and the war in Ukraine
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240831_FNP502.jpg)
Finance & economics
How Vladimir Putin hopes to transform Russian trade
He believes the country’s future lies with China and India. What could go wrong?
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240817_EUP505.jpg)
Europe
What next after Ukraine’s shock invasion of Russia?
It could dig in, pull back or grab more as a bargaining chip
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240817_FNP001.jpg)
Finance & economics
Vladimir Putin spends big—and sends Russia’s economy soaring
How long can the party last?
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240803_EUP507.jpg)
Europe
The deal that freed Evan Gershkovich was more than a prisoner swap
It freed Russian prisoners of conscience as well as Westerners taken hostage by Vladimir Putin
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240727_FNP501.jpg)
Finance & economics
How Vladimir Putin created a housing bubble
Prices have risen by 172% in Russia’s biggest cities over the past three years
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240720_CUP507.jpg)
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_ASP002.jpg)
Asia
Narendra Modi cuddles up to Vladimir Putin in Moscow
India’s prime minister visited amid fresh Russian atrocities in Ukraine
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_EUP002.jpg)
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240706_MAP502.jpg)
Middle East & Africa
Meet the victors in Africa’s coup belt
They are militaristic, nationalistic and keen to cut a deal
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240629_CUP006.jpg)
Culture
A clear-eyed account of Ukraine under siege
Do not underestimate the lunacy of aged dictators, a new book argues
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240629_EUP001.jpg)
Europe
Death and destruction in a Russian city
Russians in the border city of Belgorod have become victims too in the war Vladimir Putin launched against Ukraine
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240629_BRP502.jpg)
Leaders
Nigel Farage’s claim that NATO provoked Russia is naive and dangerous
It is also a wilful misreading of history
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240612_BID001.jpg)
By Invitation
Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine is part of his revolution against the West
He is leading Russia into a new phase of strategic confrontation, says Stephen Covington, a longtime NATO adviser
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240622_ASP001.jpg)
Asia
Vladimir Putin’s dangerous bromance with Kim Jong Un
Russia’s dictator visits Pyongyang and signs a new strategic pact
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240608_EUP504.jpg)
Europe
A D-Day commemoration that was not just about beating Hitler
Biden, Macron and Zelensky vowed to defend Ukraine and democracy
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20220209_BID001.jpg)
By Invitation
Yuval Noah Harari on how to prevent a new age of imperialism
Non-Western powers have a stake in bringing peace to Ukraine, argues the historian