Institute of Modern Russia

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Media Must-Reads

Reincarnation of the KGB, Putin’s Ideology Hero, and Russia’s Liberal Utopia

September 19-25

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25 September 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Andrei Soldatov explains in Foreign Policy the implications of the potential revival of the Ministry of State Security in Russia, which he calls a “reincarnation of the KGB.” Timothy Snyder delves into Russia’s political history and analyzes the influence that one particular figure—philosopher Ivan Ilyin—has gained over Putin and the rest of the Kremlin elites. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, experts have been discussing Russia’s recent parliamentary elections and the flaws in Russian liberal thinking.

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Event Briefings

Experts: The U.S. Should Not Promote Democracy in Russia Because This Plays into Putin’s Hands

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19 September 2016

Daniel Frey*

Last week, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace held a discussion on what the 2016 elections mean for the U.S.-Russia relations. At the event, co-hosted by the Center on Global Interests, M. Steven Fish and Stephen Sestanovich shared their insights on the topic. IMR is publishing a summary of the key points made during the discussion.

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Media Must-Reads

The Bastrykin Controversy, the U.S. Problem with the Kremlin, and Russia’s Political Narcissism

September 12-18

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18 September 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Mark Galeotti explains the rumors behind the alleged resignation of Alexander Bastrykin, notorious head of Russia’s Investigative Committee. And Walter Russell Mead discusses Russia’s re-emergence as a superpower in the Middle East in the context of the U.S. foreign policy. In the Russian media, Alexander Rubtsov analyzes Putin’s regime from the political psychology angle, and Denis Volkov delves into the unpopularity problem of Russia’s liberal parties.

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Media Must-Reads

Trump’s Love for Putin, How Russia Can Throw the U.S. Election, and Why Levada Center Got Shut Down

September 5–11

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11 September 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Steven Lee Myers explains in the New York Times Trump’s fascination with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. In her column for the Washington Post, Anne Applebaum spells out a potential scenario of Russian hackers undermining the U.S. presidential election. In the Russian media, experts discussed the reasons for putting Levada Center on the “foreign agents” list, and disserted upon the country’s development path and the so-called “legacy of the past.”

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Media Must-Reads

Assange’s Connection with Putin, Russian Troops at Ukraine’s Border, and the Reorganization of Putin’s Political System

August 27–September 2

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02 September 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, the New York Times explores the connection that seems to exist between Julian Assange and the Kremlin in light of the recent Democratic National Committee email leak that many experts trace back to Russian intelligence. Writing for Vox, Mark Galeotti dismisses the West’s fears that Russian troops are amassing by the Ukrainian border in order to invade. And in the Russian media, analysts discuss recent shifts in the Kremlin’s power structures and implications of the death of Uzbekistan president Islam Karimov, who occupied the office for 27 years.

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Media Must-Reads

Why the West Needs Kremlinology, Russia’s “Lost Decade,” and How Television Shapes Russian Consciousness

August 20–26

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26 August 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Anders Åslund explains in the American Interest that the West needs to revive Kremlinology, a Soviet-era analytical approach to deciphering and understanding the opaque practices of Russian politics. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, Vladislav Inozemtsev argues that despite the popular view, Russia’s “lost decade” is not the current one, but was instead the first ten years under Putin’s rule. And sociologist Aleksei Levinson writes that state television does not control the Russian public mind; in fact, it’s the Russian people who choose self-censorship.

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Media Must-Reads

Putin and Erdogan Meet, Russian Envy, and How Russian Parties Are Funded

August 6–12

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13 August 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Lilia Shevtsova argues in the Financial Times that despite upbeat rhetoric on both sides, Moscow’s hopes for a Turkish pivot to the East are essentially naive. And in his essay for Foreign Affairs, Gregory Feifer dissects Russia’s deep-rooted envy toward the West. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, experts discuss the funding issues of Russian political parties in light of the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the ways Russian people see the country’s future and their own.

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Media Must-Reads

The “Bromance” between Trump and Putin, a Cyber Showdown, and How the American Media is Electing Putin President of the United States

July 30 – August 5

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05 August 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, David Remnick dissects the mutual affection between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, arguing the latter is essentially using the former to promote his interests. In the Times, Dominick Kennedy reviews Russia’s propaganda efforts in the UK, while in Foreign Affairs, Andrei Soldatov explains how Russian intelligence is engaging with third parties to wage a cyberwar. In the Russian media, experts discuss the risks facing the Russian economy, the country’s unwillingness to modernize, and the U.S. media’s reaction to news that the DNC hacking scandal might have been staged by Russian intelligence.

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Media Must-Reads

Why Putin Hates Hillary, the Meaning of Russia’s Doping Scandal, and the March of Siloviki

July 23–29

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29 July 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Mark Galeotti argues in the Guardian that the doping scandal facing the Russian Olympic team is a symptom of the regime’s decline. In Politico, Michael Crowley and Julia Ioffe analyze the relationship between Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin in the wake of the alleged Kremlin-sponsored leak of Democratic National Committee emails. And Franklin Foer explains in Slate why Donald Trump plays the role of a “useful idiot” for the Kremlin, despite claims that he is a Manchurian Candidate for Putin. Meanwhile, in Russian media, discussions focused on Putin’s reshuffling in the top echelons of power and the regime’s pivot toward a “Chekistocracy.”

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Media Must-Reads

The Real Winner at the GOP Convention, Why a Military Coup Is Impossible in Russia, and Pavel Sheremet’s Murder

July 16–22

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22 July 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, a number of publications, including the Huffington Post, wrote about controversial connections between Donald Trump’s aides and Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Professor Nikolas Gvosdev argued in the National Interest that Putin also scored from Turkey’s failed military coup. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, Alexander Baunov explained why such a military coup could not be conceived in Russia. And the journalism community, shaken by the murder of a colleague, Pavel Sheremet, discussed the motives and political implications of this tragedy.