Institute of Modern Russia

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.

Владимир Гельман: «Перед российским руководством все острее стоят проблемы преемственности и отсутствия перспективы»

17 October 2021

Ольга Хвостунова

26 декабря 2021 года исполнится 30 лет с момента официального распада Советского Союза. ИСР продолжает серию интервью с экспертами, чтобы подвести краткие итоги постсоветских десятилетий, осмыслить ключевые проблемы российского транзита и их влияние на политическую систему и общество сегодня. Во очередном интервью цикла политолог Владимир Гельман рассказал о причинах провала демократических реформ, создании «негативного равновесия», вымышленном идеале «хорошего» Советского Союза и демократическом потенциале России.

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.

Poisonous Maneuvers

Crucial facts about the politics of Navalny’s poisoning

07 October 2020

Olga Khvostunova

The attempt on the life of opposition leader Alexei Navalny has become one of the central political events in Russia, but most Russians do not believe that the oppositionist was deliberately poisoned. Despite criticism from Western leaders, the Kremlin refuses to open a criminal investigation and continues to manipulate the facts. IMR’s analysis shows that the accusations made against the Russian state about the illegal use of chemical weapons are valid, but evidence is insufficient. International sanctions are imminent, as the West seeks to punish the Putin regime, but they will likely hurt less than the destruction of Russia’s special relations with Germany.