The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of articles by Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this new essay, the author explains how the crackdown of the 1825 Decembrist revolt led to the establishment of the public ideology of “state patriotism.”
In December, after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow announced that it would give Kiev a $15 billion bailout and slash the gas price by one-third as a reward for Yanukovych’s rejection of an association agreement with the European Union. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, suggests that the coming year will show whether Ukraine now really belongs to Vladimir Putin.
In December, the Constitutional Court of Russia issued a ruling in the Markin case that was supposed to settle the question of Russia’s obligation to implement decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on its territory. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent legal scholar, notes that the Constitutional Court has dodged the principal question—but still made sure to show “who is the boss.”
Contrary to the forecasts, the general tone of Vladimir Putin’s 2013 annual address to the Federal Assembly was rather restrained. According to political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, the Kremlin has paused its program of repressions in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics.
It is customary before the New Year to take stock of the year that has gone by. Days before the end of 2013, several political prisoners have been released from Russian jails. One of those who regained their freedom was Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia’s most prominent prisoner of conscience, who has spent more than a decade behind bars. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza contends that, given the events of the last few days and their political context, Russia greets the end of 2013 with a glass half-full.
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