Institute of Modern Russia

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A Single Year of Voting

How the electoral season is shaping up in Russia’s regions

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06 April 2021

András Tóth-Czifra

United Russia’s electoral rating has sunk to levels unseen since 2011, forecasting a difficult electoral season for the Kremlin. But unlike ten years ago when Moscow was front and center of political theater, regions will likely play a significant role in determining the mood before and after the vote. Two recent events in regional politics contain lessons for the authorities and the opposition as well.

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Levada Center polls offer a bird’s-eye view of what Russians think right now

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02 April 2021

Institute of Modern Russia

Following a series of high-profile political events in Russia—Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia, his imprisonment, and unprecedented protests in his support—IMR prepared a brief overview of the Levada Center’s latest public opinion polls. Despite the brutality of the regime’s crackdown on the dissent, the polls show that little seems to have changed for Putin and the Kremlin. A new survey of Russians’ and Americans’ views of each other also reveals gaps in self-perception and narrow areas of possible cooperation.

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The tightrope walk of Russian-Israeli relations

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01 April 2021

Vera Michlin-Shapir

Russia’s productive relationship with Israel remains one of the pillars of the Middle East security architecture. The two countries manage to compartmentalize their differences and cooperate on issues of mutual interest. But this fine balancing act is now facing challenges from the new U.S. administration’s foreign policy lines and Israel’s domestic political volatility.

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How Russian courts create their own reality

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31 March 2021

Igor Slabykh*

The majority of Russians do not trust the courts, according to the polls—and rightly so. A number of factors contribute to the country’s legal troubles, including a low ethical and professional level of judges, dependence on the executive power, inquisitorial practices in criminal proceedings. The already poor state of affairs has worsened in recent years, as judges turned to forging facts and creating their own reality that defies logic and common sense.

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What role will Ukraine play in Russia’s relations with the Biden administration?

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12 March 2021

Mykola Vorobiov

Standing up for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was recently named by Joe Biden as a “vital concern” for the West. Kiev has also shown eagerness for closer cooperation with the United States by taking a tougher stance on Russia. Against this backdrop, Moscow might look to raise the political stakes, using Ukraine as a staging ground for confrontation with the West.

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“Zeroing-out” Anniversary

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10 March 2021

Ekaterina Mishina

On March 10, 2020, during the second reading of the draft law on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, first-woman-in-space-turned-deputy Valentina Tereshkova put forward a surprise proposal—to reset, or “zero out,” the number of presidential terms for Vladimir Putin. The ensuing political theater once again confirmed that some candidates for the presidency are always more equal than others.

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What key people in the Biden administration think of Russia

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04 March 2021

Institute of Modern Russia

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.

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

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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.

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What pro-Navalny protests tell us about Russian regions

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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.

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

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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.