Last year, the town of Krymsk was almost fully destroyed by the largest flood. A year after the disaster occurred, a citizen activist and coordinator of Civil Emergency Corps Volunteers Alyona Popova spoke with IMR Advisor Boris Bruk about the events and lessons of the Krymsk tragedy. Alyona Popova came to Krymsk shortly after the night of the flood and became one of the organizers and coordinators of the “Kind Camp” of volunteers, which provided assistance to the flood victims.
A year ago, at night of July 7, the Krasnodar Krai was struck by the decade’s worst flood. The town of Krymsk was most affected by the disaster – the flood took the lives of 153 persons. The total number of deaths in the Krasnodar Krai was estimated at 171, 7.2 thousand of residencies were flooded, and over 60 thousand people were announced victims. For Krymsk, this is not the first tragedy of that kind; for example, in August of 2002, Krymsk became one of the areas, which were most highly affected by the flood. In 2002, 62 people died and 200 were considered victims.
In June, under Russia’s presidency of the G20, the Civil20 (C20) Summit was held in Moscow. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk discusses the discrepancy between the declarations and the practices of the Russian authorities.
The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of publications by prominent scholar Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this article, the author discusses the historical roots of the current Russian leadership’s “national patriotism.”
As Mikhail Khodorkovsky celebrates another birthday in prison, IMR Research Associate Elizabeth Zolotukhina revisits his story and tries to answer a seemingly redundant question: why Khodorkovsky was singled out for arrest, trial, and a lengthy prison sentence.
June 26 marks the 50th birthday of Mikhail Khodorkovsky—and his 10th birthday behind bars. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza discusses the personalities and the times of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Vladimir Putin, modern Russia’s two antipodes.
In May, the UN High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda presented a report entitled “A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development.” IMR Advisor Boris Bruk is skeptical about the prospects for the realization of these goals in Russia.
The system of Russian science is deteriorating, despite the government's claims that the country is modernizing. This April, Thomson Reuters published a report revealing that Russia is absent from leadership groups in the 100 top-ranked specialties in the sciences and social sciences. Another report, produced by the Russian Association for the Advancement of Science at the end of 2012, called the current state of affairs “catastrophic.” IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova examines the reasons for the crisis in Russian science and its implications for the country's future.
The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of publications by prominent scholar Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this article, the author recounts the unheeded warning of the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov.
The principal idea that consolidates different parts of Russian society is xenophobia and intolerance to “others.” Such, at least, was the conclusion of a new study on Russia’s “ideological portrait.” IMR Advisor Boris Bruk, who has analyzed the study, is skeptical about predictions of a “fascist” future for Russia.
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