All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

Putin’s article as a manifesto against Ukraine’s sovereignty

Details: Opinions

Putin’s article as a manifesto against Ukraine’s sovereignty

Details: 22 July 2021; Mykola Vorobiov

On July 12, an article by Vladimir Putin titled “On the historic unity of Russians and Ukrainians” was published on the Kremlin’s website. According to Mykola Vorobiov, Ukrainian journalist and Johns Hopkins University research scholar, this article not only highlights Putin’s territorial claims to Ukraine and neighboring countries, but also presents a serious challenge to the entire Western world.

Bard College declared “undesirable” in Russia. What now?

Details: Analysis

Bard College declared “undesirable” in Russia. What now?

Details: 15 July 2021; Liya Wizevich

On June 21, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office recognized Bard College as an “undesirable” organization, making it the first education institution to be blacklisted in the country. With the further stiffening of the existing “undesirables” law and the Putin regime’s overall aversion to foreign influence, the precedent is set for targeting other Western educational institutions in the future.

How the U.S. and Russian constitutions were changed

Details: Analysis

How the U.S. and Russian constitutions were changed

Details: 08 July 2021; Ekaterina Mishina

July 4 marked one year since Russia amended its Constitution in the most ambitious change to the country’s Basic Law since its adoption. Free University professor Ekaterina Mishina conducts a comparative analysis of the history of constitutional amendments in the United States and Russia, highlighting their opposite nature: if the U.S. amendments were aimed at expanding citizens’ rights and clarifying the competencies of state bodies, the Russian amendments only strengthened the power of the president.

How Russian officials use legal tools against journalists

Details: Analysis

How Russian officials use legal tools against journalists

Details: 08 July 2021; Igor Slabykh

Journalists in Russia are under growing pressure simply for doing their job. Attacks on independent investigative projects have become routine, while high-profile officials and businessmen increasingly engage in litigation against journalists and bloggers over the slightest sign of criticism. Given the Russian courts’ practice, the former have powerful legal tools to stifle press freedom in the country.

Why the Kremlin is in no rush to fight the third wave of the pandemic

Details: Analysis

Why the Kremlin is in no rush to fight the third wave of the pandemic

Details: 07 July 2021; Vladislav Inozemtsev

Since July 1, Russia has been hitting COVID-19 mortality rate records on a daily basis, while the number of new cases has also been growing. However, during his annual Direct Line conference, Vladimir Putin yet again emphasized that vaccinations in Russia will not be mandatory and decisions on restrictive measures will remain at the discretion of regional leaders. The Kremlin is clearly sticking to its old tactic of “taking the situation under control”—a bureaucratic euphemism that stands for freezing the problem instead solving it.

How the West and Russia reacted to the Biden-Putin Summit in Geneva

Details: Analysis

How the West and Russia reacted to the Biden-Putin Summit in Geneva

Details: 30 June 2021; Liya Wizevich

On June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva for a bilateral meeting and talks. IMR has rounded up the immense range of reactions and analysis from Western and Russian policymakers, journalists, and experts to make sense of the real and perceived outcomes of the summit.

Will Russia “swallow” Belarus?

Details: Analysis

Will Russia “swallow” Belarus?

Details: 24 June 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The recent meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko prompted familiar discussions on the possibility of Belarus being absorbed by Russia. While a full integration is too expensive for the Kremlin, Moscow exerts a lot of pressure on Belarus similarly to the way it does in Russian regions, and in the past years Minsk’s dependence on Russia has increased. Yet, there are pitfalls to this approach.

Why the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns hurt Russia’s vaccination efforts

Details: Analysis

Why the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns hurt Russia’s vaccination efforts

Details: 17 June 2021; Vera Michlin-Shapir

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is clearly underway in Russia, but the Russian authorities continue their strategy of avoiding addressing the issue directly. When they do, they usually resort to blunt denials or euphemisms, such as calling lockdown measures “nonworking days.” The Kremlin’s political manipulations regarding the pandemic is clearly a contributing factor to Russia’s low vaccination rates, despite the country’s highly publicized registration of the first-in-the-world coronavirus vaccine. This means that Russia is likely to suffer from the pandemic’s consequences well after other developed countries will return to normal life.

Why Ukraine will be one of the key topics at the Biden-Putin summit

Details: Analysis

Why Ukraine will be one of the key topics at the Biden-Putin summit

Details: 15 June 2021; Mykola Vorobiov

On June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva for the first time, and Ukraine could be one of the critical issues on the agenda. However, despite the White House’s aspirations for a more stable relationship with Russia, the Kremlin has already made clear that it will defend its “red lines.” Thus, the likelihood of a new “reset” in bilateral relations remains very low.

Ivan Kurilla: “Russia and the U.S. have defined themselves through opposing each other for almost a hundred years”

Details

Opinions

Ivan Kurilla: “Russia and the U.S. have defined themselves through opposing each other for almost a hundred years”

Details: 08 June 2021; Olga Khvostunova

December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. As such, the Institute of Modern Russia is launching a series of interviews with experts to discuss the post-Soviet decades and identify the key issues of the Russian transition and their impact on Russia’s political system and society today. In the second interview of the series, Professor of History and International Relations, Dr. Ivan Kurilla discussed the deterioration of U.S.-Russian relations, mutual demonization, and the need for a new discourse to replace the outdated language of the Cold War..

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