All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

Pavel Ivlev: “For me, Navalny is foremost a competent and thoughtful lawyer”

Details: News

Pavel Ivlev: “For me, Navalny is foremost a competent and thoughtful lawyer”

Details: 27 January 2012

Last week was announced that the well-known Russian lawyer, political activist, and blogger Alexei Navalny joined the team of attorneys working on the YUKOS case. Navalny will be defending Pavel Ivlev, a former YUKOS lawyer and the IMR Executive Director. RUNYweb published an interview with Ivlev about Navalny's hire, and IMR is exclusively offering an English translation of that interview.

Trial by Jury in Russia: Revival and Survival

Details: Law

Trial by Jury in Russia: Revival and Survival

Details: 25 January 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

Prof. Ekaterina Mishina remembers the 1993 reintroduction of trial by jury, and explains why the jury trials affect the destiny of the still young Russian civil society.

Who is Mr. Navalny?

Details: Politics

Who is Mr. Navalny?

Details: 18 January 2012; Olga Khvostunova

Anyone with even the slightest interest in Russian politics is familiar with the name Alexei Navalny. During Navalny’s relatively short public and political career, he has managed to become the subject of various myths and has been called a social climber, a nationalist, and a populist, among other things. Olga Khvostunova analyzes Alexei Navalny's biography, his interviews and his blog in an attempt to separate myth from reality.

Russia on the Eve of the Fourth Reform

Details: Nation

Russia on the Eve of the Fourth Reform

Details: 17 January 2012; Alexander Yanov

In his address to the new Russian opposition, Prof. Alexander Yanov analyses the lessons of all three Great Russian Reforms, arguing that regional governance should still be considered as an important tool for the implementation of democracy and progress.

A Rough Road to a Democratic Criminal Justice System

Details: Law

A Rough Road to a Democratic Criminal Justice System

Details: 12 January 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia began reshaping its legislative and executive branches of power. Judicial reform began two months before the USSR’s collapse, with the 1991 publication of “The Concept of Judicial Reform,” which emphasized the necessity for reform of criminal procedural legislation, especially since human rights needed maximum protection during the investigation and consideration of criminal cases in court. As a result of this activity, by the end of 1994, Russia had three competing drafts of the Criminal Procedural Code.

An Argument By The Tomb of Putin's Compromise

Details: Nation

An Argument By The Tomb of Putin's Compromise

Details: 09 January 2012; Georgy Satarov

This essay's plot is simple. The Moscow Valdai Discussion Club, a forum for international experts to meet and debate issues relevant to contemporary Russia, recently released its report on the problems in the Russian Federation. Georgy Satarov, a former aide to President Yeltsin, was so outraged by this report that he sent the members of the Club a rather offensive open letter in which he claimed that the authors of the report "possess no intellectual or ethical virtues whatsoever." Satarov went on to reprimand the members of the Club – among them, respectable Russian and Western experts – warning them that by letting "political manipulators" take advantage of them, they put themselves at risk of tarnishing their fair names.

Russian Economic Problems Highlighted as Country Joins WTO

Details: Economics

Russian Economic Problems Highlighted as Country Joins WTO

Details: 05 January 2012; Olga Khvostunova

On December 16, Russia was finally — after 18 years of negotiations — admitted to the World Trade Organization. Though WTO membership was one of the key issues in Russia’s foreign policy agenda, the benefits of this deal are debatable. Some analysts estimate that Russia can gain at least $50 billion a year, while others argue that the country’s own inefficiency, endemic corruption and stifled competition will limit the investment inflow.

Opposition at Crossroads: What Now?

Details: Nation

Opposition at Crossroads: What Now?

Details: 29 December 2011; Olga Khvostunova

On December 24, around 100,000 Russians showed up for the second antigovernment demonstration in Moscow. While President Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal for political reforms may appear to signal an early victory for protesters, many experts argue that the proposed changes will not quell growing public discontent. Below, we consider possible outcomes of what some experts believe might turn into a full-blown revolution.

For Fair Elections in Russia

Details: News

For Fair Elections in Russia

Details: 22 December 2011

A new rally for fair elections in Russia and against arbitrary rule will take place at 12 pm on December 24 in front of the Russian Consulate in New York. IMR supports Russian people in the effort to defend their basic civil freedoms and to bring the country back on the path of democratic development.

Russian Opposition Steps “into the Light”

Details: Nation

Russian Opposition Steps “into the Light”

Details: 21 December 2011

The recent politically-motivated art exhibit “Russian Visionaries. Into the Light,” sponsored by IMR and presented in New York, could not have been more timely. As the latest developments in Russia indicate, the opposition has indeed come “into the light.” The American and Russian media that covered the exhibition couldn’t agree more.

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