Aleksandr Smirnov

Sep 20, 2023 | themoscowtimes.com | Aleksandr Smirnov

Russian politicians in exile today cannot claim true legitimacy to advocate for their countrymen abroad. They lack a democratic mandate, and are riven with infighting. This does not mean they should give up on attempts to advocate for the Russian troops to leave Ukraine or the rights of fellow countrymen who fled President Vladimir Putin’s oppressive regime. But they can pursue these goals by putting aside their differences to form a coalition.

Sep 4, 2023 | themoscowtimes.com | Aleksandr Smirnov

When exiled from their home countries, political figures and organizations often become increasingly radicalized and uncompromising in their opposition to the government they fled. For Russia’s opposition, which has almost entirely been exiled or imprisoned, this can be seen in its members’ immediate response to the war, in which they doubled down on calls to sanction Russia’s business elite.

Jul 17, 2023 | beatsperminute.com | Rob Hakimian |Aleksandr Smirnov |Andy Johnston |Joshua Pickard

Ah, 2013… to say it was a “simpler time” is, well, oversimplifying things. But in the music world at least, things seemed positive. Streaming’s proliferation was bringing people back into touch with their music taste, and we hadn’t really paid attention to the unfair remuneration deals behind it. Social media seemed like a fun and casual way of self-promoting – TikTok was still several years away, as was the era of expected maximum engagement.

Jun 25, 2023 | themoscowtimes.com | Aleksandr Smirnov

Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny against the Russian military came as a shock to much of the world, but it was not necessarily a surprise. Prigozhin has long been considered a volatile and uncontrollable asset in Putin's ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The Russian opposition has regularly criticized Wagner's actions, and those of its leader, over the past year and a half.

Jun 9, 2023 | beatsperminute.com | Aleksandr Smirnov

[Warp; 2023] Regarding the creative process, Gertrude Stein said: “creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting.” When it comes to music, we would switch pen and paper for instruments and recording software, but the idea is ubiquitous for all creation: it is not in the initial conceptualising or subsequent editing that the end result is achieved, it is only in the process of transmitting shapes and contents from one’s mind to the...