Russia: Forever a Time of Troubles

Westerners often consider Russia through the prism of the Soviet Union and the Second World War. But we must look further back if we wish to understand the modern nation’s fears, aims and motivations.

Ivan the Terrible roasts Johann Boy, governor of Livonia, on a spit, 1573. Engraving, c. 1630. AKG ImagesRussia almost didn’t survive the beginning of the 17th century.

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