All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

What key people in the Biden administration think of Russia

Details: Analysis

What key people in the Biden administration think of Russia

Details: 04 March 2021; Liya Wizevich

As the Biden administration takes shape, IMR looks at the key people who are slated to define U.S. foreign and national security policies and break down their views on Russia. This is a group of seasoned professionals who seem to have no illusions regarding the Putin regime. Moscow should expect less ambiguity, harsher rhetoric, and tougher policies coming from the U.S. in the next four years.

Why does the Russian government keep making enemies out of educators?

Details: Analysis

Why does the Russian government keep making enemies out of educators?

Details: 03 March 2021; Ekaterina Mishina

In late February, Russia’s State Duma approved in the second reading the bill on regulating non-official educational activities. Introduced last November, the bill sparked sharp criticism among cultural and scientific communities over its intent to limit “undesirable foreign interference.” As the government expands its battle against domestic and international enemies, this draft law has the clear goal of stigmatizing independent educational projects and placing strict control over the entire field of educational activity.

What pro-Navalny protests tell us about Russian regions

Details: Analysis

What pro-Navalny protests tell us about Russian regions

Details: 03 March 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The pro-Navalny protests that swept across Russia in late January highlighted a potential coalition within the opposition movement, which is broader than Navalny’s core base and shares a variety of grievances with regional specifics. A closer look at these says a lot about both the causes of the protests and the opposition’s prospects in the light of the upcoming Duma election.

Will Russia help the U.S. negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran?

Details: Analysis

Will Russia help the U.S. negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran?

Details: 02 March 2021; Vera Michlin-Shapir

In 2015, Russia claimed credit for helping the United States clinch the nuclear deal with Iran, which was upended by the Trump administration three years later. The Biden administration has already invited Tehran to restart nuclear talks, and Moscow is willing to act as a power broker again. But the Kremlin’s influence over Iran is more limited than it would like to show.

Navalny’s return to Russia: a missed opportunity or systemic failure?

Details: Opinions

Navalny’s return to Russia: a missed opportunity or systemic failure?

Details: 01 March 2021; Ofer Fridman

Alexei Navalny’s much-publicized return to Russia, his arrest and criminal trial triggered a new wave of protests across Russia. However, according to Ofer Fridman, this short-lived upheaval has been a wasted historical opportunity to turn anti-Putin activism into pro-Russia politics.

Reserves of Money and Reserves of Patience

Details: Analysis

Reserves of Money and Reserves of Patience

Details: 18 February 2021; Vladislav Inozemtsev

By the end of 2020, the Russian economy was less affected by the pandemic than most of the G20 countries, with its GDP drop being one of the smallest in the group. This achievement, however, stands in stark contrast with the authorities’ inadequate reaction to Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia and the protests in his support. Skillfully conserving its financial reserves, the Kremlin is recklessly wasting resources of public trust, thus making the Russian political system increasingly vulnerable.

Can New Sanctions Against Russia Work?

Details: Analysis

Can New Sanctions Against Russia Work?

Details: 11 February 2021; Yana Gorokhovskaia

Last week, Alexei Navalny’s team announced that they would focus on achieving his release not through more street protests but through international policy tools such as sanctions. While more sanctions against Russia are likely, they remain a foreign policy tool with serious limitations.

Moscow vs Regions: Who “Feeds” Whom?

Details: Analysis

Moscow vs Regions: Who “Feeds” Whom?

Details: 04 February 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The rift between “rich” Moscow and “poor” regions has deep roots in Russia, but the inequality between them has become alarmingly more pronounced in recent years, turning into a crucial political and economic issue. While the polemics about pampered Muscovites living off the regions’ money, or incompetent regional elites mismanaging their turfs, often capture public imagination, the real picture is more complicated.

What Is New in Russia’s Recent Protests

Details: Analysis

What Is New in Russia’s Recent Protests

Details: 03 February 2021; Yana Gorokhovskaia

In the past two weeks, Russians came out to the streets again in large numbers to support opposition leader Alexei Navalny and protest against the Putin regime. While some facets of the recent rallies and the regime’s reaction to them have remained the same over the years, new characteristics have also emerged, including ramped-up crackdown and angrier protesters.

Nagorno-Karabakh War and Russia’s Pursuit of Gas Interests

Details: Analysis

Nagorno-Karabakh War and Russia’s Pursuit of Gas Interests

Details: 02 February 2021; Dmitry Shlapentokh

The recent Azeri-Armenian war over Nagorno-Karabakh was one of the fiercest conflicts in post-Soviet history, leaving over 5,000 dead on both sides and tens of thousands displaced. After six weeks of heavy military action, a ceasefire deal was signed with Moscow’s mediation, but Russia’s initial reluctance to interfere raises questions about its true interests in the region.

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