All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

The Birth of Imperial National Communism

Details: Nation

The Birth of Imperial National Communism

Details: 30 April 2014; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of articles by well-known historian Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. This essay begins a new cycle of the series: the history of the Russian idea in the Soviet Union. The author discusses what happened with the Russian idea in the first decade after the Russian Revolution, both in Russia and abroad.

Decline of Free Speech

Details: Politics

Decline of Free Speech

Details: 29 April 2014; Alexander Podrabinek

On April 29, Russia’s Federation Council passed a law that tightens government control over the dissemination of information on the Internet and treats bloggers as journalists. A week earlier this so-called “antiterrorism package” was adopted by the State Duma. According to writer Alexander Podrabinek, this law fits in with the current trend in Russia of giving the government a free hand while imposing restrictions on citizens.

The Ukraine-Russia Forum in Kiev: a Platform for Dialogue

Details: News

The Ukraine-Russia Forum in Kiev: a Platform for Dialogue

Details: 29 April 2014

On April 24–25, a forum entitled "Ukraine-Russia: the Dialogue," organized by Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia Foundation, the Third Republic of Ukraine movement and the PEN club of Russia took place in Kiev. Prominent members of the Russian and Ukrainian intellectual elite participated in the forum and called for the social and cultural rapprochement between the two countries to overcome the current political crisis.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “No dictator will turn us, independently-thinking individuals, into enemies”

Details: News

Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “No dictator will turn us, independently-thinking individuals, into enemies”

Details: 25 April 2014

On April 24 a forum entitled “Ukraine-Russia: the Dialogue” opened in Kiev. It was organized by Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia Foundation, the Third Republic of Ukraine movement and the PEN club of Russia. Mikhail Khodorkovsky delivered an opening speech.

Putin and the Oligarch Presented in Washington, DC, and New York

Details: News

Putin and the Oligarch Presented in Washington, DC, and New York

Details: 25 April 2014

On April 22 and 24, Richard Sakwa, professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent, presented his book titled Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair in Washington, DC, and New York. Both events were organized by the Institute of Modern Russia.

In Search of Lost Ideology

Details: Nation

In Search of Lost Ideology

Details: 24 April 2014; Tatiana Stanovaya

The Constitution of the Russian Federation unequivocally bans the establishment of a state ideology. However, the recent conservative trend in Russian politics increasingly resembles a regime-supported official ideology. According to political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, the crisis in Ukraine served as a powerful boost to the creation of a new ideological base for Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Ukraine Talks Off to a Modest Start in Geneva

Details: World

Ukraine Talks Off to a Modest Start in Geneva

Details: 24 April 2014; Donald N. Jensen

On April 17, at the talks in Geneva, officials from the United States, Russia, the European Union, and Ukraine agreed on a framework to reduce tensions in Ukraine, including demobilizing armed groups and giving their members amnesty; vacating seized government buildings; and establishing a program of political reform. However, as Donald N. Jensen, resident fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, notes, the tensions will likely be eased only temporarily.

Legal Gymnastics

Details: Law

Legal Gymnastics

Details: 21 April 2014; Ekaterina Mishina

On April 8, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation recognized as constitutional the 2012 amendments to the federal laws “On non-commercial organizations” and “On public associations”—the notorious “law on foreign agents.” IMR advisor Ekaterina Mishina comments on the ruling of the Constitutional Court and the court’s legal stance with regard to these amendments.

IMR to host panel on Russian patriotism at the ASN Convention

Details: News

IMR to host panel on Russian patriotism at the ASN Convention

Details: 21 April 2014

On April 26, the Institute of Modern Russia will host a panel titled “The meaning of patriotism in post-Soviet Russia” at the World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) at Columbia University.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky on travel restrictions to Ukraine

Details: News

Mikhail Khodorkovsky on travel restrictions to Ukraine

Details: 18 April 2014

It was announced yesterday that Ukraine imposed entrance restrictions on Russian male citizens aged 16 to 60. Ukraine's desire to protect their country from mercenaries is understandable and legitimate in the context of this undeclared war. In practice, however, this decision as well as numerous incidents at the [Russia-Ukraine] border, which plenty of witnesses have reported, have frightened thousands of average citizens, forcing them to change their personal, family plans.

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