Politics - Institute of Modern Russia

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Russia: A Test on Fascism

Details: Politics

Russia: A Test on Fascism

Details: 12 February 2013; Alexander Yanov

The harsh prison sentence handed to Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, a prominent Russian nationalist leader, was met with near-uninamous condemnation in Russia’s opposition (including liberal opposition) circles. In contrast, IMR Advisor Alexander Yanov, a well-known historan of Russian nationalism, believes that Kvachkov deserved his punishment.

Medvedev’s Government: A Vegetative Life

Details: Politics

Medvedev’s Government: A Vegetative Life

Details: 07 February 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

A large-scale campaign directed against Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev is underway in the Russian media. It is difficult to say who is behind it—Medvedev’s opponents include the security services, liberals, Putinists, and even his own former backers. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, ponders the Russian premier’s political future.

Back in the USSR

Details: Politics

Back in the USSR

Details: 06 February 2013; Ekaterina Mishina

Recent amendments to the Russian Criminal Code have significantly expanded the definition of “espionage” and “treason.” According to IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent legal expert, the charge of “treason” can now be leveled against practically any Russian citizen.

Putin’s Tricks, or Where Do Elections Go?

Details: Politics

Putin’s Tricks, or Where Do Elections Go?

Details: 01 February 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

One of the riddles of the first year of Vladimir Putin’s “new” presidency has been the return of direct gubernatorial elections and their subsequent rollback. One can find a great many analytical materials on this subject in Russian media, but the “home kitchen” remains off-screen. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers why the Kremlin reversed its own decision.

Back on the Leash: The End for A Just Russia

Details: Politics

Back on the Leash: The End for A Just Russia

Details: 29 January 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

A Just Russia, one of Russia’s four parliamentary parties, has demanded that four of its members, prominent opposition activists Dmitri Gudkov, Gennady Gudkov, Ilya Ponomarev, and Oleg Shein, sever all links with the protest movement. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza argues that this ultimatum, which marks the end of A Just Russia’s cooperation with the pro-democracy opposition, leaves the party without a political future.

A Case in Point

Details: Politics

A Case in Point

Details: 28 January 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

Eduard Limonov’s support for the “scoundrels’ law,” which banned adoptions of Russian orphans by U.S. citizens, has finally ended the alliance between liberals and National Bolsheviks. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek, who has long warned the democratic opposition against cooperating with Limonov, discusses Russian liberals’ strange attraction to the enemies of freedom.

The End for Ballot Riggers

Details: Politics

The End for Ballot Riggers

Details: 24 January 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

The “March against Scoundrels” recently held in Moscow demonstrated that protest sentiments in large Russian cities have not decreased, and that the rallies’ success is largely determined by their subject. As the 2011–2012 protests have shown, election fraud is becoming of the most topical issues for Russia’s civil society. For the first time in years, the opposition is trying to take part in the formation of precinct electoral commissions that organize the voting. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers what may come out of it.

The Duma’s Two Sets of Books

Details: Politics

The Duma’s Two Sets of Books

Details: 22 January 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

Having dealt with street rallies, NGOs, “spies,” and orphans, the Russian Duma has turned its attention to journalists. A new bill being drafted in the lower house (dubbed the “Pozner bill”) would ban Russians who hold citizenships of other countries from working on state-owned or state-supported television channels. According to author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek, the new initiative not only represents a cheap propagandistic stunt, but also demonstrates the hypocrisy of the current regime.

How Putin Elects the Duma

Details: Politics

How Putin Elects the Duma

Details: 17 January 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

The electoral reform announced by Vladimir Putin – the switch from a proportional system of parliamentary elections to a mixed plurality-proportional one – has become one of the main topics of the current political season. This change heralds a reassessment of Putin’s style of political control. Tatiana Stanovaya, the head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers the president’s motives.

95 Years Without Legitimacy

Details: Politics

95 Years Without Legitimacy

Details: 16 January 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

Ninety-five years ago, in the early morning of January 19, 1918, the armed guards of the Tauride Palace, acting on the orders of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, interrupted the session of the Russian Constituent Assembly. According to IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza, the illegitimacy of the Bolshevik usurpation of power still lies at the heart of Russia’s political system.

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