The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of publications by prominent scholar Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this article, the author recounts the 19th century clash between “state patriotism” and “Slavophilism.”

Russia has been shaken by a series of scandals concerning the exposure of plagiarism in the dissertations of politicians and officials. Verification of the authenticity of their research was initiated by a group of bloggers and coincided with a reform launched by the Education Ministry that aimed at reducing the number of inefficient universities in Russia. Education Minister Dmitri Livanov ended up at the center of the stir. IMR Advisor Olga Khvostunova discusses why the authenticity of the dissertations has become a political issue.

The Russian authorities have acknowledged that they do not know what nearly half of the country’s working-age population does. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk has analyzed the Soviet-era experience of fighting “parasitism” and compared it to the present day.

It is often argued that Russia’s democratic future is assured by the progressive and pro-Western attitudes of its youth. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, contends that the reality is more complex.

The Russian authorities are continuing their widely publicized “campaign against corruption.” Having studied the proposed measures intended to stop bribe-taking among officials, IMR Advisor Boris Bruk has concluded that they are unlikely to achieve the desired results.

During the past month, hundreds of Russian NGOs—including Memorial, the Public Verdict Foundation, and For Human Rights movement—were inspected by prosecutors. Lev Ponomaryov, head of For Human Rights and a former member of the Russian State Duma, spoke with IMR’s Olga Khvostunova about the reasons for these inspections and their consequences for Russia.

The Russian authorities’ efforts to bring back Soviet-era symbols are a sure indicator of their determination to return to Soviet repressive practices. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek emphasizes that Russian society still has time to stop and reverse this trend.

IMR Advisor Boris Bruk spoke with Anya Sarang, president of the Andrei Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice, about the ongoing tuberculosis problem in Russia.

On March 24, the world marked the annual Tuberculosis Day. Whereas in Western countries this illness has been controlled since the middle of the 20th century, in Russia, tuberculosis remains an acute problem to this day. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk analyzes the situation and ponders the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis measures taken by Russian authorities.

The Institute of Modern Russia begins a series of publications by prominent scholar Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this introduction, the author discusses his new project and explains the difference between nationalism and patriotism.