Nina Khrushcheva tested out her theory that Russians are more afraid than they should be by holding up a sign on Red Square insulting Vladimir Putin, seen above waving at an 2014 event in Milan. Photo: ©Thejaguar74 | Dreamstime.com
Will Russia’s Brain Drain Dry Up?
Georgy Bovt, The Moscow Times
The decline in Russia’s education system will lead to a decrease in foreign demand for Russian skilled workers, and the country may soon be facing an internal brain drain that never even leaves its borders.
Putin Would Eat President Trump for Lunch
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg View
Donald Trump claims that if he became president, he and Vladimir Putin would get along famously, leading some to compare the two personalities. Bershidsky argues that businessmen Yevgeny Chichvarkin and Boris Berezovsky have more in common with the flamboyant Trump, and that Putin would dominate Trump at the negotiating table.
Time for a New Strategy in Russia
Mark Galeotti, Foreign Affairs
Galeotti believes that the West needs to come up with a more creative way to resist Russian manipulation, but this tact should not include more of the same sanctions or Western counter-propaganda. What can the West do before any hope of dialogue with Russia completely disappears?
Dashcams for Freedom
Sarah Kendzior and Noah Tucker, Foreign Policy
Citizens of Central Asia have taken to social media to expose corruption. With the rise of social networks, authoritarian states can no longer deny the existence of rampant official fraud. How will Central Asia’s fight against corruption compare with that of Russia?
If Russia Breaks Up: The Peril Beyond Putin
The Economist
If Putin can redraw post-Soviet borders with Ukraine, there is no reason why the rest of Russia could not split apart under certain dire circumstances. Several of Russia’s regions, such as Siberia and Tatarstan, have declared “sovereignty” at one time or another. What would happen if Russia really were to break into pieces?
Here’s What Happened When I Held Up a ‘Putin Is a Dick’ Sign in Red Square
Nina Khrushcheva, Quartz
Is Russia under Putin like the totalitarian Soviet Union? Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, went to Red Square to test out her theory that Russians are more afraid than they should be.
Compiled by Alexandra Moon, Cyrus Newlin, and Molly Zuckerman
