Institute of Modern Russia

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Analysis

Un-Freedom of the Press

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20 June 2019

Olga Khvostunova

Over the last month, two events have shaken up a small corner of the Russian media landscape, which continues to strive for integrity and independence. A Meduza reporter got arrested on bogus charges of drug possession, but was eventually acquitted. Prior to that, Kommersant’s entire political desk resigned over the owner’s interference in its editorial work. The fact that such  events, which have become routine in Putin’s Russia, can still cause a stir and galvanize people to fight back, is a rare sign of hope for the Russian civil society.

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Analysis

Is Russia’s Future in the Hands of Its Youth?

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05 June 2019

Olga Khvostunova

Vladimir Putin is approaching his 20th anniversary as de-facto leader of Russia, and many critics of his regime are increasingly looking to the new generation of Russians in the hope that they can bring about change. What is known about this new generation? Is there ground for optimism?

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Analysis

The Time of Troubles: Did It Ever End?

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15 May 2019

Dmitry Shlapentokh

The turbulent period in the Russian history, known as the Time of Troubles (1584-1613), that shook the very foundations of the Russian state, continues to provide rich material not only for scholars but also for politicians. In his comparative analysis of the two studies of this period—Sergey Platonov’s Time of Troubles and Maksim Zarezin’s V puchine Russkoi Smuty—historian Dmitry Shlapentokh draws parallels with contemporary Russia and highlights the key ideas borrowed by the Putin regime to justify its policies..

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Analysis

“Fear Has Large Eyes”

How the Mueller Report reads if you are Russian

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13 May 2019

Olga Khvostunova

Since the release of the redacted version of the Mueller Report, concluding that no criminal conspiracy occurred between the Trump Campaign and the Kremlin, the volume and intensity of the media coverage of this subject has visibly diminished. Some scarce attempts at post-mortem analysis of this topic, which had dominated public discourse, are taking place, with most media outlets defending their Russia reporting. While the deflation of the “Russia scare” might be a good thing, dismissing the actual problem with the Kremlin is not. Sooner or later President Trump will leave office, while President Putin is here to stay for the foreseeable future. And it is about time that Russia observers in the West wake up to a better, more nuanced understanding of Russia and its current regime.

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Analysis

Compartments in Russia’s Public Mind

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19 April 2019

Olga Khvostunova

As the Kremlin passes a new set of repressive laws—this time on spreading fake news and disrespecting the authorities—the majority of Russian people remain only vaguely aware of these developments, according to the latest polls. Although public mistrust for the authorities persists, many Russian people approve of government action to punish those they dislike.

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Law

Verbal strategies from Kosovo to Crimea. Part Two

How the Kremlin uses the language of international law as a foreign policy tool

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13 February 2018

Thomas Hodson

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 has become a turning point for the Kremlin’s relationship with the West. While inside Russia the event is largely viewed as a “restoration of historical justice,” in the West it is perceived as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and essentially as the first rewriting of Europe’s borders since World War II. As Russia’s belligerent behavior in the international arena continues to raise concerns, Russia analyst Thomas Hodson investigates the Kremlin’s attempts to manipulate the language of international law to justify its actions.

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Law

Verbal Strategies from Kosovo to Crimea. Part One

How the Kremlin uses the language of international law as a foreign policy tool

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06 February 2018

Thomas Hodson

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 has become a turning point for the Kremlin’s relationship with the West. While inside Russia the event is largely viewed as a “restoration of historical justice,” in the West it is perceived as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and essentially as the first rewriting of Europe’s borders since World War II. As Russia’s belligerent behavior in the international arena continues to raise concerns, Russia analyst Thomas Hodson investigates the Kremlin’s attempts to manipulate the language of international law to justify its actions.

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World

U.S. Congress Is Upset with the Kremlin Report

Congressmen demand clarity on Russia sanctions under CAATSA from the Trump administration

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31 January 2018

On January 29, the U.S. Treasury released the so-called “Kremlin report,” which includes a list of Russian officials and businesspeople who may be sanctioned under Article 241 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). As the Treasury underscored in its official statement, “this report is not a sanctions list.” Which means it “does not impose sanctions on [the included] individuals or entities. Nor does it create any other restrictions, prohibitions, or limitations on dealings with such persons by either U.S. or foreign persons.”

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Economics

Sergey Aleksashenko: “The Takeaways of the Keynote Interview with Nabiullina”

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31 May 2017

Sergey Aleksashenko

In his latest comment about recent events in the Russian economy Sergey Aleksashenko, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, analyzes the latest interview with Elvira Nabiullina, head of the Bank of Russia, highlighting obvious contradictions within it, and also looks at the economic indicators of the last few months and finds reason for restrained optimism.

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Politics

Political Schizophrenia or Existential Crisis?

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24 May 2017

Olga Khvostunova

At his last week’s press conference Vladimir Putin claimed that “political schizophrenia” has been developing in the U.S. These words were said in response to the question regarding the Washington Post’s breaking story that at an Oval Office meeting with Russian diplomats Donald Trump passed to them certain classified information on ISIS. Is it possible that given the current developments inside Russia itself, Vladimir Putin made a Freudian slip? IMR’s Olga Khvostunova weighs in.