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Vladimir Bukovsky: “The more protests there are, the more likely political prisoners will be released”

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Opinions

Political Prisoners

Vladimir Bukovsky: “The more protests there are, the more likely political prisoners will be released”

Details: 08 November 2019; Olga Khvostunova

In memory of the legendary Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, IMR re-publishes his 2014 interview, in which he spoke on the differences between the political prisoners of Soviet times and those of today’s Russia, and shared his insights on the methods of struggling against political repressions.

Alina Polyakova: “The idea that you can have a real democracy in Russia is an existential threat to the Putin regime”

Details: Opinions

Alina Polyakova: “The idea that you can have a real democracy in Russia is an existential threat to the Putin regime”

Details: 31 October 2019; Olga Khvostunova

Facebook has recently identified and taken down several disinformation campaigns backed by the governments of Russia and Iran. The company said it expects more foreign interference ahead of the 2020 presidential election in the U.S. As disinformation wars rage on, IMR’s Olga Khvostunova sat down with Dr. Alina Polyakova, the founding director of the Project on Global Democracy and Emerging Technology at the Brookings Institution and an expert on Russian political warfare, to discuss the Kremlin’s influence operations and what the U.S. can do to counter them. Dr. Polyakova has recently joined IMR’s board of trustees.

Russian World: Compatriots vs. Émigrés

Details: Book Reviews

Russian World: Compatriots vs. Émigrés

Details: 31 October 2019; Yana Gorokhovskaia

The Russian diaspora is the fourth largest in the world, with 10 million Russians residing abroad. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Kremlin traditionally viewed émigrés with suspicion, targeting those it perceived as a threat to the regime. This attitude changed under Vladimir Putin, who, by introducing the concept of Russkiy Mir, has tried to bring fellow countrymen into the Kremlin’s orbit.

What Moscow Protests Tell Us About Putin’s Russia

Details: News

What Moscow Protests Tell Us About Putin’s Russia

Details: 29 October 2019; Institute of Modern Russia

On October 28, IMR and the Atlantic Council co-hosted a panel discussion on the prospects of the Russian protest movement. Panelists included director the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, Ambassador John Herbst, IMR’s director Olga Khvostunova and Russian journalist Ksenia Kirillova. Political scientist Maria Snegovaya moderated the discussion.

Protected: Russian Youth in the Moscow Protests

Details: Analysis

Protected: Russian Youth in the Moscow Protests

Details: 28 October 2019; Olga Khvostunova

Summer protests in Moscow saw a significant number of young faces—up to two-thirds of participants in the largest August 10 demonstration, according to some estimates. This trend that has been gaining momentum since 2017 has many experts wonder: are young Russians breaking away from the Kremlin’s clasp?

IMR Welcomes New Trustees

Details: News

IMR Welcomes New Trustees

Details: 25 October 2019; Institute of Modern Russia

The Institute of Modern Russia is happy to welcome two new members to our Board of Trustees—Dr. Alina Polyakova of the Brookings Institution and Mr. Leonid Nevzlin, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

As the U.S. Withdraws from the Middle East, the Road to the Region’s Heart Lies Open for Putin

Details: Analysis

As the U.S. Withdraws from the Middle East, the Road to the Region’s Heart Lies Open for Putin

Details: 21 October 2019; Ksenia Svetlova

The Trump administration’s recent decision to move U.S. troops out of Syria, effectively abandoning the Kurdish fighters, Washington’s long-term military partners in the region, sent ripples across the world. While the White House was slammed in the media for the move—largely seen as a major betrayal of an ally, the news was met favorably in Turkey and Russia. Moscow is playing a long game in the Middle East and moving to fill the power vacuum.

A Tale of Two Russias

Details: Analysis

A Tale of Two Russias

Details: 16 October 2019; Olga Khvostunova

Shares of the Russian tech giant Yandex dropped by over 18 percent on October 11 after it was reported that the Kremlin had backed new legislation aimed at limiting foreign ownership of the tech firms to 20 percent. This development came only two weeks after the annual Moscow Exchange Forum in New York at which top managers of the largest Russian companies, most of whom were from the West, praised the low-risk, high-value opportunities of the Russian market, naming tech as one of its key attractions.

Abandoning Russia’s Imperial Pursuit

Details: Analysis

Abandoning Russia’s Imperial Pursuit

Details: 26 September 2019; Dmitry Shlapentokh

Historian Dmitry Shlapentokh reviews Boris Akunin’s recent books—a novel and a historical treatise—that reflect the writer’s thinking about Russian history and thinly-guised allusions to the present and future. Seeing no good model for the Russian state in both the national and the European tradition, Akunin ponders the question: is Russia doomed?

Sergei Davidis: “Repressions inside Russia Embolden the Putin Regime to Act More Aggressively Abroad”

Details: Opinions

Sergei Davidis: “Repressions inside Russia Embolden the Putin Regime to Act More Aggressively Abroad”

Details: 05 September 2019; Olga Khvostunova

According to the Memorial Human Rights Center, there are 313* political prisoners in Russia today—a record number in recent decades. How does one become a political prisoner? What do the cases of political persecution say about Vladimir Putin’s regime? Memorial council member and head of its political prisoners program Sergei Davidis discusses these and other questions in an interview with IMR’s Olga Khvostunova.

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