Institute of Modern Russia

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The aggravation of the situation in Ukraine is in Moscow’s favor

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26 November 2021

Mykola Vorobiov

The Russian escalation across the Ukrainian border, tensions between Kyiv and Minsk, and a possible energy crisis as the cold season approaches could further push down the declining ratings of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will need to act more assertively against his opponents. This can provoke a serious conflict with Ukraine, which will work to Moscow’s advantage.

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The ballot, not the bullet: Russia’s pursuit of a geopolitical buffer zone

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24 November 2021

Michael Wasiura*

For centuries, Russian rulers have sought to maintain a physical buffer zone between themselves and any potential foreign invader. Even today, this historical characteristic of Kremlin psychology is cited as an explanation for Moscow’s attempts to maintain implicit control over political developments in independent Ukraine and Belarus. In a modern context, however, it is not the encroachment of NATO tanks, airplanes, or missiles that poses the greatest existential threat to Russia’s ruling class—it is the spread of free and fair elections.

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The Memorial situation as a conclusive diagnosis

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19 November 2021

Ekaterina Mishina

On November 11, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office ordered the liquidation of International Memorial, a historical, educational, philanthropic, and advocacy organization, as well as its branches, including the Memorial Human Rights Center. It was alleged that these organizations had repeatedly violated the “foreign agent” law. In reality, what is happening is not just the result of the continuous search for enemies and witch hunts in the country, but also the blatant disregard of the legal stances of Russia’s Constitutional Court.

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The Belarusian border crisis: Russia’s responsibility for Lukashenko’s rogue regime

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13 November 2021

Michael Wasiura*

Since June, the Belarusian state has been importing migrants from Africa and the Middle East, transporting them west from Minsk to the borders of the European Union, and deploying armed guards to prevent the refugees from returning to Belarusian territory. Russian officials’ failure to denounce the actions of its Union State partner make the Kremlin complicit in this scheme, even if there is—as of yet—no hard evidence directly tying Russian security services to the Belarusian human trafficking operation.

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Why Putin is making big plans for the Russian Far East

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12 November 2021

Dmitry Shlapentokh

In September, Vladimir Putin gave a speech in the Russian Far East, promising expansive development of the region, including the creation of new cities, and enhanced economic and educational opportunities. The president claimed that development of the Far East will be Russia’s priority, not just for years but for centuries to come. Why such an interest?

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

Two scholars discuss the lessons of the Soviet collapse

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01 November 2021

Institute of Modern Russia

In the runup to the 30th anniversary of the USSR’s dissolution, prominent Russian experts Vladimir Mau and Vladimir Gelman discuss the inevitability of the Soviet collapse, the fall of 1991 as a period of revolution, and the impact of the following decade’s legacy on modern Russia.

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A bitter celebration: the concept of judicial reform in Russia turns 30

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28 October 2021

Ekaterina Mishina

Thirty years ago the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic approved the Concept of Judicial Reform, whose main goal was to transform the courts into an autonomous influential actor independent from other branches of power. Professor of the Free University (Svobodny Universitet) and legal scholar Ekaterina Mishina reflects on the state of the judicial system in modern Russia—and finds obvious signs of counter-reform.

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Why the Kremlin is increasing pressure on Ukraine

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26 October 2021

Mykola Vorobiov

The Ukraine situation remains an important factor in the relationship between Moscow and Washington, as testified to by the agenda of American diplomat Victoria Nuland’s recent visit to Russia. In defiance to that, Russian authorities openly decry the “pointlessness” of negotiations with Ukraine’s current administration.

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Whither legitimacy? Lessons of Russia’s rigged elections

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06 October 2021

András Tóth-Czifra

The September 17-19 elections in Russia, which included voting for State Duma deputies and heads of federal subjects, as well as filling seats in the regional legislative assemblies, did not lead to the upset for the Kremlin that Putin critics had hoped for. But despite United Russia’s regaining a Duma supermajority, a closer look at its performance across various regions reveals important nuances about the public mood in the country, allowing inferences to be drawn about the Putin regime’s political trajectories.

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Scholars discuss a new book on Navalny adding touches to a portrait of the Russian opposition leader

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30 September 2021

Institute of Modern Russia

On September 20, University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies (UCL SSEES) hosted the first academic book launch for Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? co-authored by Dr. Jan Matti Dollbaum, Morvan Lallouet, and Dr. Ben Noble, and published by Hurst and Oxford University Press. The three authors discussed the book with Professor Gulnaz Sharafutdinova of King’s College London, delving into the authors’ endeavor to understand who exactly Alexei Navalny is and how his activities and the Kremlin’s strategies have shaped one another.