This project aims to inform and educate policymakers, media, and think tanks on relevant issues in Russian politics by producing in-depth analysis, research papers, and policy recommendations.

As part of this project, IMR and the Legatum Institute (London) jointly commissioned a series of studies to analyze the challenges of Russia’s transition from the former Soviet Union. The first paper of the series was a study of Russia’s postmodern dictatorship, and subsequent works were dedicated to corruption issues in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. IMR worked with its sister publication The Interpreter to produce an 88-page report titled “An Invasion by Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine,” the most comprehensive compilation of evidence on the war in Ukraine to date.

One of our most acclaimed reports is “The Menace of Unreality: How the Kremlin Weaponizes Information, Culture, and Money,” a study of the Kremlin’s disinformation war and propaganda efforts. Authored by two prominent journalists—Michael Weiss and Peter Pomerantsev—it’s been extensively cited by the media, politicians, scholars, etc. 

IMR has also been collaborating with the Political Capital Policy Research and Consulting Institute (Hungary) on a study identifying the relevant connections between the Kremlin and Europe’s far right and far left forces. And, as part of the project titled “Faces of Patriotism,” we have partnered with the Levada-Center, a Moscow-based independent pollster, to conduct a number of public opinion surveys that were included in the recent paper on Russian understandings of patriotism.