Political scientist Jean-François Ratelle argues that the trilateral agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia and the US offers hope for peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus. At the same time, in his view, the White House prioritized its own geopolitical and economic interests over a more equitable settlement.

Journalist Alexander Golts warns that amid a fundamental breakdown in bilateral relations in the sphere of strategic stability, the rhetorical showdown between Medvedev and Trump risks a catastrophe.

East Asia expert Daniel Sneider argues that for the foreseeable future, Russia has become a backer of a status quo marked by hard lines of division globally, and in Korea.

Benjamin Nathans, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement speaks with writer Dmitry Bykov about his book, about the Soviet mindset in the 1960s and 1970s, and about the prospect of democratic reforms in Russia.

Journalist Inna Denisova disagrees with the image of emigration in France presented by former TV Rain presenter Denis Kataev in an interview with Yuri Dud. Her experience and view of the French state and society are markedly, and negatively, different from what Kataev describes.

Journalist Yuriy Marin examines the recent effort to create an entirely new messenger in Russia. The Kremlin, he argues, intends it to be a pillar of Russia’s digital sovereignty.

Journalist Tatiana Rybakova goes through several major factors that are negatively affecting Russian agriculture, including deteriorating quality of seeds and equipment, a shortage of seasonal workers and a lack of credit.

In an interview with Republic, Vladislav Inozemtsev argues that the Russian economy has vast resources, like massive household and corporate deposits at banks, and the system is relatively stable. The main threat is a further ramp-up of military spending, but Inozemtsev believes Putin realizes this and will only increase defense expenditures in line with inflation or by less.

Journalist Tatiana Rybakova examines the reported decline in alcohol production and even consumption in Russia and finds that the official statistics do not reflect less drinking but rather a shift toward unregulated alcohol and drugs.

Cultural historian Ilya Kukulin examines key innovations in Russian-speaking cultural institution-building that have emerged outside of Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Publisher Felix Sandalov discusses an important Russian cultural phenomenon of the 2020s, the so-called “new tamizdat” – the publication of banned books and writers by emigrant publishers outside of Russia.

Culture commentators Ksenia Basilashvili and Anatoly Golubovsky weigh in on the appointment of Anna Trapkova, the current director of the Museum of Moscow, to replace Roman Romanov at the Gulag History Museum. Before being squeezed out, Romanov had headed the museum for over a decade.

Based on ethnographic research of small-town Russia, sociologists Yakov Lurie and Sasha Kappinen challenge the idea of the war in Ukraine as a major turning point or defining political event.

Historian Sergey Chernyshov outlines how Ivan the Terrible’s capture of Kazan in the 16th century has been viewed throughout the centuries and reflects on what Tatarstan’s recent ban on events to mark the exact date mean for Tatar identity.

Based on her research, Vlada Baranova claims that the war in Ukraine has led to the ethnicization of conflicts and confrontation between the federal authorities, perceived as “Russian,” and the indigenous population. Language and environmental activism is becoming more tinged with nationalism, as well.

Following Wagner’s mutiny in June 2023 and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, the Russian government sought to replace the group in international operations in the Middle East and Africa. Antonio Giustozzi and David Lewis examine the shifts in Russian policy based on a series of interviews with Wagner personnel and other informed interlocutors.

In recent years, Georgia's ruling party has been shifting the country toward Russia, putting its long-standing cooperation with Washington and Brussels at risk. Nicholas Castillo examined the reasons behind this shift.

Moscow’s return to the Middle East rests on three main pillars: arms exports; access to military bases; and use of its private military companies, such as the Wagner Group.