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How Russian officials use legal tools against journalists

Details: 08 July 2021; Igor Slabykh

Journalists in Russia are under growing pressure simply for doing their job. Attacks on independent investigative projects have become routine, while high-profile officials and businessmen increasingly engage in litigation against journalists and bloggers over the slightest sign of criticism. Given the Russian courts’ practice, the former have powerful legal tools to stifle press freedom in the country.

Details: Analysis

Why the Kremlin is in no rush to fight the third wave of the pandemic

Details: 07 July 2021; Vladislav Inozemtsev

Since July 1, Russia has been hitting COVID-19 mortality rate records on a daily basis, while the number of new cases has also been growing. However, during his annual Direct Line conference, Vladimir Putin yet again emphasized that vaccinations in Russia will not be mandatory and decisions on restrictive measures will remain at the discretion of regional leaders. The Kremlin is clearly sticking to its old tactic of “taking the situation under control”—a bureaucratic euphemism that stands for freezing the problem instead solving it.

Details: Analysis

How the West and Russia reacted to the Biden-Putin Summit in Geneva

Details: 30 June 2021; Liya Wizevich

On June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva for a bilateral meeting and talks. IMR has rounded up the immense range of reactions and analysis from Western and Russian policymakers, journalists, and experts to make sense of the real and perceived outcomes of the summit.

Details: Analysis

Will Russia “swallow” Belarus?

Details: 24 June 2021; András Tóth-Czifra

The recent meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko prompted familiar discussions on the possibility of Belarus being absorbed by Russia. While a full integration is too expensive for the Kremlin, Moscow exerts a lot of pressure on Belarus similarly to the way it does in Russian regions, and in the past years Minsk’s dependence on Russia has increased. Yet, there are pitfalls to this approach.

Details: Analysis

Why the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns hurt Russia’s vaccination efforts

Details: 17 June 2021; Vera Michlin-Shapir

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is clearly underway in Russia, but the Russian authorities continue their strategy of avoiding addressing the issue directly. When they do, they usually resort to blunt denials or euphemisms, such as calling lockdown measures “nonworking days.” The Kremlin’s political manipulations regarding the pandemic is clearly a contributing factor to Russia’s low vaccination rates, despite the country’s highly publicized registration of the first-in-the-world coronavirus vaccine. This means that Russia is likely to suffer from the pandemic’s consequences well after other developed countries will return to normal life.

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