Analysis - Institute of Modern Russia

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The Peculiarities of Terrorism in Russia

Details: Nation

The Peculiarities of Terrorism in Russia

Details: 08 January 2014; Alexander Podrabinek

Terrorism is a global problem that affects dozens of countries in today’s world. But, as author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek notes in this commentary, terrorism in Russia has its own—often unexplainable—“national peculiarities.”

The Decembrists and Russian Nationalism

Details: Nation

The Decembrists and Russian Nationalism

Details: 06 January 2014; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of articles by Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this new essay, the author explains how the crackdown of the 1825 Decembrist revolt led to the establishment of the public ideology of “state patriotism.”

The Kremlin’s Euromaidan Calculus

Details: World

The Kremlin’s Euromaidan Calculus

Details: 06 January 2014; Donald N. Jensen

In December, after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow announced that it would give Kiev a $15 billion bailout and slash the gas price by one-third as a reward for Yanukovych’s rejection of an association agreement with the European Union. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, suggests that the coming year will show whether Ukraine now really belongs to Vladimir Putin.

A Rubik’s Cube from the Russian Constitutional Court

Details: Law

A Rubik’s Cube from the Russian Constitutional Court

Details: 30 December 2013; Ekaterina Mishina

In December, the Constitutional Court of Russia issued a ruling in the Markin case that was supposed to settle the question of Russia’s obligation to implement decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on its territory. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent legal scholar, notes that the Constitutional Court has dodged the principal question—but still made sure to show “who is the boss.”

Restrained Priorities

Details: Politics

Restrained Priorities

Details: 23 December 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

Contrary to the forecasts, the general tone of Vladimir Putin’s 2013 annual address to the Federal Assembly was rather restrained. According to political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, the Kremlin has paused its program of repressions in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics.

2013: A Good Ending for Russia

Details: Nation

2013: A Good Ending for Russia

Details: 23 December 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

It is customary before the New Year to take stock of the year that has gone by. Days before the end of 2013, several political prisoners have been released from Russian jails. One of those who regained their freedom was Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia’s most prominent prisoner of conscience, who has spent more than a decade behind bars. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza contends that, given the events of the last few days and their political context, Russia greets the end of 2013 with a glass half-full.

Why Russia Needs Egypt

Details: World

Why Russia Needs Egypt  

Details: 23 December 2013; Daria Mattis

This November, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and defense minister Sergei Shoigu visited Egypt to meet their Egyptian counterparts. The holding of bilateral talks on military and technical cooperation intensified earlier speculations about the renewal of Russian military assistance to Egypt. Daria Mattis reviews the Russia–Egypt rapprochement.

The Revival of Serfdom in Russia

Details: Politics

The Revival of Serfdom in Russia

Details: 20 December 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

In December, the Russian State Duma adopted a law reviving the Soviet rule of propiska—official residential registration. A key feature of the new law will be administrative and criminal liability for violating registration rules. According to author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek, this is another step toward transforming Russia into a country with a repressive system of ideological control.

Will the Prodigal Son Be Forgiven?

Details: Politics

Will the Prodigal Son Be Forgiven?

Details: 18 December 2013; Donald N. Jensen

Presidential amnesty project passed by the Russian State Duma on December 18th will likely pardon former defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov who has been recently charged with negligence. As Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations notes, recent developments are a part a political maneuver by Putin to find an acceptable way out of the much criticized Oboronservis affair.

The Symbol of an Era

Details: Nation

The Symbol of an Era

Details: 16 December 2013; Boris Bruk

December 14 marked the anniversary of death of Andrei Sakharov, a world-known human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a man who became a symbol of his era. Over the years, his life remained an example of courage, nobility, and humanity for many people. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk highlights some of the details of Sakharov’s extraordinary life and discusses his intellectual and moral heritage.

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