Leonid Bershidsky

Content Strategist/Technical Lead:News Innovation Lab

Leonid Bershidsky, formerly Bloomberg Opinion’s Europe columnist, is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation Team. He recently published Russian translations of George Orwell’s “1984” and Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”

Latest

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-FINANCE-RUBLE

Bloomberg Opinion

The Ruble’s Fall Points to Pain but Not Collapse

Thanks to the ingenuity of finance officials and entrepreneurs, Russia remains economically resilient and can still fund its wartime budget.

July 12, 2023

July 12, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

The Ruble’s Fall Points to Pain but Not Collapse

Thanks to the ingenuity of finance officials and entrepreneurs, Russia remains economically resilient and can still fund its wartime budget.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-FINANCE-RUBLE

July 4, 2023

July 4, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Wagner Cost Russia Suspiciously Little Money

If Putin’s defense spending numbers are correct, it’s likely that Prigozhin overstated the size of his army.

RUSSIA-POLITICS-PUTIN

June 29, 2023

June 29, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Putin Is Weakened. His System Isn’t.

Russia’s predatory system of bureaucrats, officers, managers and media personalities won’t object to change at the top — as long as they can count on getting fed.

RUSSIA-TRIAL-POLITICS-NAVALNY

June 25, 2023

June 25, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

The Wagner Mutiny Leaves Putin a Naked Emperor

The lack of popular indignation over a revolt during an enemy counteroffensive shows that Russia’s heart isn’t with Putin and his war against Ukraine.

TOPSHOT-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-WAGNER

June 24, 2023

June 24, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

The Wagner Mutiny Foreshadows a Russian Defeat

Prigozhin’s escapade shows Putin’s war in Ukraine isn’t going well for him.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-WAGNER

June 21, 2023

June 21, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Putin’s Nuclear Scare Tactics Will Fall Flat

Ukraine and the West are smart to take Russia’s nuclear doctrine at face value: No nukes will fly until and unless Russia faces an existential threat. So far, it hasn’t.

RUSSIA-TURKEY-DIPLOMACY

June 13, 2023

June 13, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

War in Ukraine So Far Favors the Defense

The evolution of military technology confers a natural advantage on the much-ridiculed Russian troops as they face the current Ukrainian onslaught.

Russian military equipment destroyed last year during an

June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Russian Forces Picked a Dangerous Time to Feud

The counteroffensive is coinciding with peak infighting among the most notorious of the Russian not-quite-regulars — and a nadir of their military strength.

TOPSHOT-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-WAR

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Ukraine’s Attacks on Russia Are a Calculated Gamble

Bringing the war to Russian soil may have a short-term military upside. But high civilian casualties could cause a “Chechnya effect” that works to Putin's long-term advantage.

TOPSHOT-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-STRIKES-DRONE

May 23, 2023

May 23, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Bakhmut Falls But Is It Really a Russian Victory?

The 200-plus day siege may be over but what comes next isn’t exactly to Moscow’s benefit.

Russia's Large-Scale Assault On Ukraine Enters Second Year

May 17, 2023

May 17, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

In Ukraine, Technology Only Thickens the Fog of War

The deluge of satellite imagery, drone footage, social media and smart phones has generated enough information to support any story you want to tell about what’s happening on the ground.

With An Assault Regiment of the Ukraine Army On The Front Line in the Donbas Region

May 9, 2023

May 9, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Putin’s Victory Day Brings Evidence of Defeat

One year after launching a criminal, fratricidal, ill-conceived and poorly-run military campaign, he has single-handedly set Russia back in every respect.

RUSSIA-HISTORY-WWII-ANNIVERSARY

May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

The Ugly Case for Continuing to Support Ukraine

If the West’s governments want their policies to attract lasting public approval, they need to appeal to the basest instincts of distracted and distrustful voters.

2023 Munich Security Conference

April 26, 2023

April 26, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Why Russian TV Isn’t Tucker Carlson’s Dream Job

The ex-Fox host only used pro-Kremlin rhetoric to rile his political opponents. But their failure to take on his arguments without condescension will undermine US public support for Ukraine.

2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards

April 19, 2023

April 19, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Russia’s Warmongers Are Scorpions in a Bottle

Divided by rivalries and animosity, they remain united by shared fears of a premature deal with the West and hopes for total victory over Ukraine.

TOPSHOT-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-POLITICS-RELIGION-ORTHODOX-EASTER

April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Putin’s Paranoia Deviates from Its Soviet Roots

Russia has yet to resort to the drastic reprisals of the Stalinist years, but the regime’s opponents still face some deepening perils.

RUSSIA-POLITICS-PUTIN-GOVERNMENT

March 29, 2023

March 29, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

The Deepfake Revolution May Bring a Media Revival

Who are you going to believe: News outlets that can be held legally accountable, or your lying eyes?

FILES-US-TECHNOLOGY-AI-DEEPFAKES-DISINFORMATION-MISINFORMATION

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Finally, a Serious Offer to Take Putin Off Russia’s Hands

The International Criminal Court just made it easier for any successor to get rid of the dictator and his shadow.

RUSSIA-CHINA-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Nord Stream Sabotage Mystery Leaves All Infrastructure More Vulnerable

Knowing who was responsible for the pipelines’ disruption is key to preventing future attacks against essential undersea lines of communication and transport.

Damaged Nord Stream II Baltic Pipeline Leaks Gas Into Sea

March 8, 2023

March 8, 2023

OpinionLeonid Bershidsky

Putin and Saddam Hussein Have a Lot in Common

The parallels between the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Iraq-Iran War are hard to ignore.

Saddam Hussein welcomes his people In Baghdad, Iraq On October 17, 1983-