Institute of Modern Russia

30 Years of the USSR's Dissolution

Vladimir Gelman: “Russia’s leadership is increasingly facing problems of succession and lack of perspective”

17 October 2021

Olga Khvostunova

December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. As such, the Institute of Modern Russia has launched a series of interviews with experts to discuss the post-Soviet decades and identify key issues of the Russian transition and their impact on Russia’s political system and society today. In the fourth installment of the series, political scientist Vladimir Gelman spoke about the reasons for the failure of democratic reforms in Russia, the emergence of a “negative equilibrium,” the propaganda of a fictional ideal of the “good” Soviet Union, and the country’s democratic potential.

Sergei Guriev: “We may already be seeing Russia’s return to the repressive dictatorship of the 20th century”

05 August 2021

Olga Khvostunova

December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. As such, the Institute of Modern Russia is launching a series of interviews with experts to discuss the post-Soviet decades, identify the key issues of the Russian transition, and their impact on Russia's political system and society today. In the third installment of the series, professor of the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and economist Sergei Guriev discusses the Putin regime’s economic problems, the political reasons for the stagnation, and the future of Russia’s information autocracy.

Ivan Kurilla: “Russia and the U.S. have defined themselves through opposing each other for almost a hundred years”

08 June 2021

Olga Khvostunova

December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. As such, the Institute of Modern Russia is launching a series of interviews with experts to discuss the post-Soviet decades and identify the key issues of the Russian transition and their impact on Russia’s political system and society today. In the second interview of the series, Professor of History and International Relations, Dr. Ivan Kurilla discussed the deterioration of U.S.-Russian relations, mutual demonization, and the need for a new discourse to replace the outdated language of the Cold War..

Lev Gudkov: “The unity of the empire in Russia is maintained by three institutions: the school, the army, and the police”

03 May 2021

Olga Khvostunova

December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. As such, the Institute of Modern Russia is launching a series of interviews with experts to discuss the post-Soviet decades, identify the key issues of the Russian transition, and their impact on the political system and society today. In the first interview, the head of the Levada Center, Lev Gudkov, spoke about Russia’s conservative revanche, the reproduction of Soviet myths, the stability of authoritarian power, and the “double consciousness” of the Russian people.