On March 18, Russia will hold presidential elections with a pre-determined result: Vladimir Putin is slated to win his fourth term with six more years in office. By then, barring some catastrophic event, he will have ruled Russia for almost 25 years. In the runup to the elections, independent Russian experts discuss the potential turnout, the results of Putin’s almost-two-decade rule so far, and his foreign policy messaging.
In this week’s roundup, Alexander Rubtsov, Alexander Baunov, Vladimir Frolov and Dmitri Trenin discusses Vladimir Putin’s March 1 speech, focusing on various aspects—PR stunts, military technology, and foreign policy implications. And Mikhail Krutikhin writes about the potential for a new “gas war” between Gazprom and Europe.
In this week’s roundup: New Times and Maxim Mironov discuss the recent scandal of drugsmuggling through the Russian Embassy in Argentina; Pavel Luzin analyzes the CAATSA law’s short- and long-term effects on the Russian defense system; Tatiana Stanovaya writes about a new phenomenon in Putin’s system—the so-called “integrators”; and Kirill Semyonov poses the question whether escalation in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta will make it the second Aleppo.
In this week’s roundup, Maxim Trudolyubov weighs in on Russia’s “other” invisible state that can be described as a modern-day “oprichnina”; Alexander Goltz analyzes the first clash in 60 years between Americans and Russians; Konstantin Gaaze delves in a dispute over the definition of Putin’s regime in the UN Security Council this week; Andrei Movchan describes the consequences of Communist presidential candidate Pavel Grudinin’s program for the Russian economic and political agenda; Alexei Levinson dissects the recent polls on Russian attitudes to other countries.
In this week’s roundup, Marianna Belenkaya analyzes the consequences of the death of Russian mercenaries killed in a U.S.-led airstrike in Syria; Maxim Trudolyubov discusses the consequences of last week’s investigation by Alexei Navalny exposing shady ties between oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko; Konstantin Gaaze argues that despite scandals, Deripaska continues to receive tangible benefits; Vladislav Inozemtsev weighs in on how the Russian government could manage the “subsidized regions”; and Olga Romanova writes on the similarities between the U.S. and Russian criminal systems.
In this week’s roundup, New Times profiles the key beneficiaries of Putin’s fourth-term presidency; Alexander Baunov outlines why genuine reforms after Putin’s re-election are impossible; Vladimir Frolov discusses the recent unprecedented visit of the three heads of the Russian special services to Washington; Pavel Chikov details the encroachment of Russian state regulation on the Internet; and Pavel Aptekar examines the growing prestige of the “chekist” profession.
In this week’s roundup, Alexander Baunov and Ekaterina Schulman analyze the U.S. Treasury’s “Kremlin report,” The New Times writes about the meaning and consequences of the January 28 protest in Russia; Alexander Rubtsov discusses the recent reforms in the field of science that shocked members of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Sergei Medvedev explains why the Russian authorities banned Armando Iannucci’s latest comedy titled “The Death of Stalin.”
In this week’s roundup: Oleg Bouklemishev explains why the Russian elite does not aspire to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos; Vladimir Pastukhov examines the evolution of Putin’s inner circle, arguing that today, the military holds a dangerous level of power; Alexander Kynev discusses Ksenia Sobchak’s and Alexei Navalny’s campaign strategies, each presenting a very different future; Vladimir Gelman details how the Kremlin sees the “digital revolution” as the missing link in ameliorating state management; and Lilia Shevtsova argues that instead of an imminent “reset” with the U.S., Russia should expect only a sharp downturn in the international sphere.
In this week’s roundup, New Times discusses the reshuffling expected in the Kremlin and the government after the March 18 elections; Vladimir Frolov writes about the new round of U.S. sanctions and the Kremlin reaction to it; Alexander Baunov argues that in the upcoming elections Vladimir Putin is planning to beat an issue, not an opponent; Alexander Rubtsov of the Center for the Study of Ideological Processes contends that Putin needs a resounding victory; and in another piece this week, Rubtsov discusses the role of ideology in the Russian political process. .
In this week’s roundup: Anton Shirikov assesses the likelihood of Russia turning into a full democracy or a rigid dictatorship in 25 years; New Times discusses the fight to reserve a spot on the presidential ballot; Dmitry Oreshkin argues that Navalny’s call for a boycott is good step for him, but not for voters; Dmitry Trenin summarizes Russia’s 2017 foreign policy; Natalya Zubarevich evaluates the 2018 outlook for the country’s regions.
Our newsletter delivers a digest of analytical articles and op-eds published on our website, along with the latest updates on the IMR activities on a monthly basis.