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Putin, Hardliners, and Political Violence

Details: 19 March 2015; Donald N. Jensen

Even though suspects in the murder of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov have been arrested, speculations on who is the mastermind behind the crime continue to swirl. According to Donald Jensen, resident fellow of the Center for Transatlantic Relations, there are clear signs of disintegration among Russia’s elites, as new, more radical armed groups seek their place in the system.

Details: Law

Looking into the Abyss

Details: 18 March 2015; Elena Lukyanova

On the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia—an event that was strongly condemned by the international community—Professor Elena Lukyanova of the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics analyzes and finds numerous problems in the decisions by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation concerning the legislation that applies when a country makes part of a foreign state part of its own territory.

Details: Law

When the State Defends Itself Against Its Citizens

Details: 09 March 2015; Ekaterina Mishina

The case of Svetlana Davydova, the mother of seven children who was accused of high treason for the benefit of Ukraine, was not only the first high-profile case of espionage since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, but also the first case that falls under the new provisions of Article 275 of the Criminal Code. IMR legal expert Ekaterina Mishina examines the main pitfalls of these new provisions and draws historical parallels.

Details: Opinions

Lustrations: Threat or Hope?

Details: 10 March 2015; Alexander Podrabinek

Talk of lustrations has recently started up again in Russia. The discussion was provoked by the recent accusations against RPR-PARNAS activist Lev Dmitriyev of insulting a judge. Many people see lustrations as a hopeful pathway toward a democratic future for Russia. However, according to writer Alexander Podrabinek, for lustrations to succeed, the cleansing of totalitarian ideology should first take place in people’s minds.

Details: Opinions

Four Bullets in the Back of Russia’s Democracy

Details: 06 March 2015; Leonid Martynyuk

On February 27, Russian democratic opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead in the center of Moscow. Leonid Martynyuk, Nemtsov’s colleague and co-author, discusses the opposition leader’s political career and puts forward a theory about who could have ordered his killing.

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