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How to be a successful region in Russia: the case of Tatarstan

Details: 01 February 2022; András Tóth-Czifra

According to official data, in 2021, the number of Russia’s so-called “donor” regions—that is, not requiring subsidies from the state—stood at 12 out of 83, which is roughly half the number there was in 2006. Among all Russian regions, Tatarstan has always been among the leaders and enjoyed special status in its relationship with Moscow. But, in recent years, with the Kremlin’s push for centralization, the Tatar success story has been gradually fading away.

Details: Analysis

Russia’s negotiations with the U.S., NATO, and the OSCE: “The window of diplomacy” remains open, for now

Details: 21 January 2022; Mykola Vorobiov

Russia’s negotiations on security guarantees with the U.S., NATO, and the OSCE took place on January 10-13, in Europe. After three rounds of talks, the parties’ positions remained unchanged—disagreement on key issues persists, and if they are not resolved, no significant results can be expected. Yet, at this point, the very fact that the negotiations took place and did not lead to outright failure could be a sign of progress.

Details: Analysis

How Kremlin propaganda distorts reality inside Russia

Details: 19 January 2022; Michael Wasiura

In recent weeks, the Kremlin has staged an elaborate diplomatic circus—from mid-December, when the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its proposals for a new security architecture in Europe, through mid-January, when they were rejected by representatives of the United States and NATO. The abortive negotiations, however, can be seen as a success for Moscow: the West’s refusal to discuss the Kremlin’s ultimatum helped further propaganda messages at home and prepare TV audiences to accept Vladimir Putin’s next policy moves.

Details: Opinions

Sergei Davidis: “The human rights violations in Russia is fraught with instability in the West”

Details: 12 January 2022; Diana Fishman

ВIn late December, Russian courts ruled to liquidate International Memorial and its human rights center, allegedly due to a systematic violation of the law on “foreign agents.” The IMR spoke with member of the Memorial Human Rights Center council and head of the political prisoners program Sergei Davidis about why this decision has been made right now, what will happen to the Russian human rights movement, and how the West should respond to repressions within Russia.

Details: Analysis

What went wrong in Kazakhstan: a legal scholar’s point of view

Details: 11 January 2022; Ekaterina Mishina

In early January, Kazakhstan saw large-scale protests, which initially started due to a hike in gas prices. Very quickly, the protesters turned to political slogans, demanding that ex-president Nursultan Nazarbaev, the untouchable “Leader of the Nation,” leave his position of power. Legal scholar Ekaterina Mishina analyzes Kazakhstan’s experience of autocratic constitutional development and concludes that an endless strengthening of the power vertical is impossible.

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Our newsletter delivers a digest of analytical articles and op-eds published on our website, along with the latest updates on the IMR activities on a monthly basis.