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What key people in the Biden administration think of Russia

Details: 04 March 2021; Liya Wizevich

As the Biden administration takes shape, IMR looks at the key people who are slated to define U.S. foreign and national security policies and break down their views on Russia. This is a group of seasoned professionals who seem to have no illusions regarding the Putin regime. Moscow should expect less ambiguity, harsher rhetoric, and tougher policies coming from the U.S. in the next four years.

Details: Human Rights

February-2021: Anastasia Shevchenko, Yuri Dmitriev, participants of the January protests

Details: 04 March 2021; Diana Fishman

In February, Russia saw the beginning of a large-scale wave of prosecution against participants of the January pro-Navalny protests. Out of the more than 11,000 people detained, 1,251 were subjected to administrative arrests in Moscow alone, and criminal cases were opened against 90. In addition, activist Anastasia Shevchenko was convicted in Rostov-on-Don for her participation in the work of an “undesirable” organization, and in Karelia a court upheld the conviction of historian Yuri Dmitriev.

Details: Analysis

Why does the Russian government keep making enemies out of educators?

Details: 03 March 2021; Ekaterina Mishina

In late February, Russia’s State Duma approved in the second reading the bill on regulating non-official educational activities. Introduced last November, the bill sparked sharp criticism among cultural and scientific communities over its intent to limit “undesirable foreign interference.” As the government expands its battle against domestic and international enemies, this draft law has the clear goal of stigmatizing independent educational projects and placing strict control over the entire field of educational activity.

Details: Analysis

What pro-Navalny protests tell us about Russian regions

Details: 03 March 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The pro-Navalny protests that swept across Russia in late January highlighted a potential coalition within the opposition movement, which is broader than Navalny’s core base and shares a variety of grievances with regional specifics. A closer look at these says a lot about both the causes of the protests and the opposition’s prospects in the light of the upcoming Duma election.

Details: Analysis

Will Russia help the U.S. negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran?

Details: 02 March 2021; Vera Michlin-Shapir

In 2015, Russia claimed credit for helping the United States clinch the nuclear deal with Iran, which was upended by the Trump administration three years later. The Biden administration has already invited Tehran to restart nuclear talks, and Moscow is willing to act as a power broker again. But the Kremlin’s influence over Iran is more limited than it would like to show.

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