Wednesday, April 23
‘We Are Dealing with a “Phase Transition” that Has Been Building Up for Decades’
In an interview with Republic, political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov discusses the first 100 days of Trump’s second term as US president and what his “revolution” means the Russia-Ukraine war, US-Russia relations and the world order.
Friday, April 18
Multilateral Negotiations Around the War in Ukraine
Political scientist Nikolay Mitrokhin analyzes recent developments, including ongoing U.S.–Russia talks, mounting U.S. pressure on Ukraine, and a substantial aid package pledged by European countries.
Monday, April 14
How to Find an End to the War that Russians and Ukrainians Can Agree On
Sociologist Elena Koneva and colleagues put forward a new approach to figuring out how to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, inspired by “peace polls.” It is based on scenarios reflecting the real negotiation process and helps find areas of potential compromise, even when everything seems hopeless.
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Thursday, April 24
‘I Did Not Agree to These Demands and, Of Course, I Did Not Intend to Follow Them’
Since 2023, the course Fundamentals of Russian Statehood, developed at the behest of the Kremlin to shape “correct” political views among young people, has been mandatory for first-year students at all Russian universities. A course instructor, whose name is left out, talks about how students react to propaganda and whether an honest dialogue is possible at Russian universities today.
Tuesday, April 22
How Conscription Has Changed in Russia During the War
Journalist Dmitry Kolezev shares his observations on the current spring conscription drive. The Ministry of Defense plans to draft 160,000 young men aged 18 to 30, the largest number since 2011. That is partly thanks to a new law expanding the conscription age range from the previous 18-27.
Wednesday, April 16
‘You See People Who Are in Hell. I Think They Have the Right to Be Heard’
In an interview with Republic, Shura Burtin, whose reports about the war in Ukraine invariably become an event, discusses the meaning of a journalist’s work in wartime, as well as journalistic and human ethics.
Friday, April 25
Oil Prices and Dollar Inflation Seen as Biggest Risks for Russian Economy
In an interview, economist Alexander Kolyandr talks about the implications of Trump’s policies for the Russian economy, how sanctions have impacted incomes, inflation and the daily lives of Russians, and why the defense sector is now the main driver of growth and the ruble is unexpectedly strong.
Wednesday, April 2
Peace Hopes Lift Russian Economic Indicators, But Not Broader Outlook
Journalist Sergei Shelin explains how, despite rising government spending and falling oil export earnings, hopes for a ceasefire have managed to strengthen the ruble, push inflation lower and buoy the stock market. This has done nothing to fix the economy’s longer-term problems, however.
Sunday, March 30
Recent US-Russia Talks in Riyadh Yield ‘Minor Diplomatic Victory’ for the Kremlin
In an interview with Tatyana Rybakova and Andrei Sizov, an agriculture market expert, explains the essence of the agreements recently reached between Washington and Moscow and discusses their relevance for Russian agricultural exports.
Friday, March 28
‘The Interpersonal Is Political’: The Cultural Flourishing of the New Russian Emigration
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.
Thursday, January 30
Russian-Language Publishing Abroad: Activism, a Hobby or Something Else?
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.
Tuesday, January 21
Russia’s Closed Gulag Museum Gets a New Director – But That is Hardly Good News
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.
Monday, December 23
‘Were It Not For The Funerals…’: The War In a Small Town In the Urals
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.
Tuesday, October 15
What the Ban on Commemorating the Capture of Kazan Means for the Tatar Nation
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.
Wednesday, February 21
Turning Point? The Ethnicization of Social Issues and What Indigenous Communities Think About It
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.
Wednesday, September 25
After Prigozhin: Does Wagner Group Have a Future?
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.
Tuesday, August 27
The ‘Global War Party’: How Georgian Dream Talks about the West, Russia and the Russia-Ukraine War
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.
Wednesday, July 10
How Has Putin’s ‘Special Military Operation’ Affected Russian Arms Exports to MENA?
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.
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