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Why Russia Should Pay Attention to Kamala Harris

Details: 27 October 2020; Dante Matero

If Joe Biden wins this November election, his VP Kamala Harris will likely take on a substantial foreign policy role in his administration. While she lacks international experience, Harris’s background and political views are good policy predictors. When it comes to Russia, she is expected to be tough on human rights violations and а staunch advocate for arms control.

Details: News

IMR-СEPA Virtual Event: 20 Years of Putin and the Battle for Russia’s Civil Society

Details: 27 October 2020

On October 29, 2020, the Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) and Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) will host a virtual discussion following the release of IMR's new report titled “Russia under Putin: 20 Years of Battling over Civil Society.” The report is the second in the series of IMR's project dedicated to Russia under Vladimir Putin's 20-year long rule. Participants in the discussion include civil society researcher Yana Gorokhovskaia, Miriam Lanskoy (NED), Denis Volkov (Levada Center), and Edward Lucas (CEPA). IMR's Olga Khvostunova will moderate.

Details: Analysis

Russia’s pre-existing conditions

How will the regions weather the second COVID-19 wave?

Details: 23 October 2020; András Tóth-Czifra

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached Russia. While Moscow suffered the most in the first wave, almost two-thirds of the new cases are now registered in the regions. The situation may get worse, since the problems accumulated during the spring pandemic have not been resolved. Unless the Kremlin thoroughly rethinks its fiscal policy, the second wave may hit cash-starved regions even harder than the first.

Details: Analysis

In Russia, Elections Are About More Than Just Winning

Details: 16 October 2020; Yana Gorokhovskaia

Despite fraud and significant administrative barriers to participation for most candidates, elections continue to be a crucial battleground in Russia between the regime and the opposition. Anti-Kremlin forces have achieved some successes in unseating United Russia candidates, but in the long term, elections may undermine authoritarianism by engaging voters, not by ousting regime incumbents.

Details

Analysis

Longreads

Poisonous Maneuvers

Crucial facts about the politics of Navalny’s poisoning

Details: 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.

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