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September 2021: Chelyabinsk anarchists, Navalny, Valentina Chupik

Details: 07 October 2021; Diana Fishman

In September, the Russian government continued its persecution of two anarchist movement members: a Chelyabinsk court handed down prison sentences to Dmitry Tsibukovsky and Anastasia Safonova for displaying a banner opposing the FSB. New criminal cases on bogus charges of extremism were opened against opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his associates. And human rights activist Valentina Chupik, who had been living in Russia under refugee status, was expelled from the country for criticizing corruption in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Details: Analysis

Whither legitimacy? Lessons of Russia’s rigged elections

Details: 06 October 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The September 17-19 elections in Russia, which included voting for State Duma deputies and heads of federal subjects, as well as filling seats in the regional legislative assemblies, did not lead to the upset for the Kremlin that Putin critics had hoped for. But despite United Russia’s regaining a Duma supermajority, a closer look at its performance across various regions reveals important nuances about the public mood in the country, allowing inferences to be drawn about the Putin regime’s political trajectories.

Details: Analysis

Scholars discuss a new book on Navalny adding touches to a portrait of the Russian opposition leader

Details: 30 September 2021; Liya Wizevich

On September 20, University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies (UCL SSEES) hosted the first academic book launch for Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? co-authored by Dr. Jan Matti Dollbaum, Morvan Lallouet, and Dr. Ben Noble, and published by Hurst and Oxford University Press. The three authors discussed the book with Professor Gulnaz Sharafutdinova of King’s College London, delving into the authors’ endeavor to understand who exactly Alexei Navalny is and how his activities and the Kremlin’s strategies have shaped one another.

Details: Analysis

The Biden-Zelensky summit: security, threats, and “working on mistakes”

Details: 15 September 2021; Mykola Vorobiov

The recent summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House demonstrated that Washington and Kyiv are ready to cooperate, despite some unresolved issues, including Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO and the future of Nord Stream II. Against the backdrop of Russian aggression, these issues could pose a serious threat to European security.

Details: Analysis

What to expect from a single voting day: expert forecast

Details: 09 September 2021; Liya Wizevich

On September 17-19, Russia will hold a series of elections on various levels of the power system—for the State Duma, for the headship of 12 federal subjects, as well as for seats in the legislative assemblies of 39 regions. Russian and Western political scientists agree that, overall, the vote will play out according to the 2016 scenario, with candidates from the pro-Kremlin United Russia receiving the majority of votes. However, some surprises can still happen, especially if the turnout of opposition-minded voters is high.

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