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Nord Stream II: Germany’s choice, everyone’s problem

Details: 23 August 2021; Vera Michlin-Shapir

The controversial Nord Stream II pipeline, which is reportedly expected to be finished by the end of August, has caused deep divisions along political and ideological fault lines in the West. While discussions on the issue mostly focus on the geopolitical or business side of the project, how the pipeline plays into the Kremlin’s strategy of informational-psychological influence has remained largely neglected. As such, Nord Stream II could be seen as a political win for Moscow.

Details: Analysis

How the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan threatens Russia

Details: 11 August 2021; Dmitry Shlapentokh

The U.S. departure from Afghanistan marks the culmination of the long turbulent period that began with the 1979 Soviet invasion. During this time, Afghan Islamists emerged as the adversary of both the U.S. and the USSR/Russia, and the discord between the latter helped them survive and persevere. While some Russian observers might see the U.S. withdrawal as a defeat and weakness, this development might bring about more problems for Moscow than benefits.

Details: Human Rights

July 2021: Attack on the media, Alexei Pichugin, Jehovah's Witnesses

Details: 06 August 2021; Diana Fishman

July was marked by increased government pressure on independent journalism in Russia. The investigative publication Project was recognized as “an undesirable organization,” The Insider as a “foreign agent,” more than a dozen journalists were also included in the list of “foreign agents.” As part of the Yukos case, Alexei Pichugin, political prisoner and the company’s former head of security, was transferred to Moscow, presumably to testify against his ex-boss, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Meanwhile, the mass persecution of followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses continues in the Russian regions..

Details: Analysis

Report review, Reiderstvo 2.0: The Illegal Raiding Pandemic in Russia

Details: 06 August 2021; Liya Wizevich

On August 6, Michael Calvey, one of Russia’s most prominent foreign investors, was sentenced to five and a half years of suspended prison term for embezzlement in a case that has become “emblematic of the country’s reputation as an often treacherous place to do business.” Earlier this summer, similar conclusions were drawn in a report titled “Reiderstvo 2.0: The Illegal Raiding Pandemic in Russia,” which was prepared by the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University. IMR reviews the report, which highlights reiderstvo’s “devastating effects” on Russian business.

Details

Opinions

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

Details: 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.

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