Institute of Modern Russia

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Event Briefings

Assessing Trump’s Russia Policy: Rhetoric vs. Reality

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21 June 2018

On June 15, the U.S. Helsinki Commission held a hearing on the Trump administration's policy toward Russia, addressing the dissonance between its rhetoric versus the actual policy. The panelists, including Herman Pirchner, Jr., Alina Polyakova, and Yulia Latynina, highlighted some of the most polarizing issues of both U.S. and Russian foreign policy—sanctions, hybrid warfare, and cybersecurity.

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Media Must-Reads

World Cup Show, New Presidential Administration, Mini-Round of Sanctions

Russian media roundup, June 9-15, 2018

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15 June 2018

This week, lots of attention in the Russian media was paid to the FIFA World Cup, which opened in Moscow on June 14. In the meantime, Vladimir Putin appointed his new administration, keeping most of its former employees, with a few curious exceptions. Finally, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned a small group of Russian entities for conducting cyber operations, but the effects of these measures are yet to be seen.

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Media Must-Reads

Putin’s Direct Line, Medvedev’s declining ratings, World Cup’s Economics

Russian media roundup, June 2-8, 2018

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08 June 2018

This week, Vladimir Putin held his annual “Direct Line” with the Russian people asserting for the 16th time his power and the “correctness” of his policies. The composition of the new Russian government was a topic of expert discussions in the light of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s sagging rating. Meanwhile, the country is about to kick off a major international event—the FIFA World Cup, whose sole goal (pardon the pun) may be to improve Russia’s global image.

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Media Must-Reads

Babchenko’s Fake Death, Russian Davos, Governors Purge

Russian media roundup, May 26 – June 1, 2018

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01 June 2018

The shocking news about the staged murder of journalist Arkady Babchenko made headlines in both Russian and international media where opinions were polarized as usual. This news cycle overshadowed other important developments in Russia, such as the St. Petersburg Economic Forum with Putin trying to exploit current transatlantic rifts, and the purges in the regional elite that set the stage for his fourth presidential term.

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Media Must-Reads

Russia’s New Government, May Decrees 2.0, Roizman’s Resignation

Russian media roundup, May 19-25, 2018

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25 May 2018

One of the key discussions in Russia this week concerned the new Cabinet that officially started working on May 18. Despite many familiar faces, there are still new signals for the experts to decipher. Another discussion focused on the meaning of Putin’s ambitious May decrees and whether they could be implemented at all. Finally, the situation surrounding the resignation of Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman composed the third significant element of the political discourse this week.

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Media Must-Reads

Kudrin Factor, Putin’s Counter-Sanctions, Ruble vs. Oil

Russian media roundup, May 12-18, 2018

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18 May 2018

While the Russian state media relished Vladimir Putin’s photo-ops at the opening of the Crimea bridge, other developments were less hyped but more consequential to the country this week. First, Dmitry Medvedev’s Cabinet was approved, with most positions filled with the same people. Second, the Duma steamrolled the passage of the counter-sanctions bill to target not just the U.S. but also Russian citizens. Third, the recent oil prices fluctuations revealed a weaker correlation with the ruble exchange rate.

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Media Must-Reads

May 5 Protest, New Cabinet, Monopoly on History

Russian media roundup, May 4-11, 2018

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11 May 2018

This week has seen three crucial developments that highlighted long-term trends in Russian politics. On May 5, anti-Putin protests took place across the country, resulting in 1600 detainees. On May 7, Putin was inaugurated for his fourth term as Russia’s president and immediately reappointed Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister, thus ending weeks of speculation regarding a possible liberal shift. On May 9, Russia celebrated Victory Day, but it seems that after the holiday was highly politicized, it eventually started to lose its appeal.

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Media Must-Reads

Telegram Paradox, More of the Same Putin, Duma’s Counter-Sanctions

Russian media roundup, April 27 – May 4, 2018

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04 May 2018

Several stories took center stage in Russian politics this week. Roskomnadzor is trying to reinforce the Telegram ban across the country while many Russians push back against the restrictions on Internet freedom. With Putin’s inauguration to be held on May 7, experts continue the discussion of his fourth term. After the Duma introduced a new counter-sanctions bill and thus seized the initiative in Russia’s foreign policy development, the feuds inside the elites have intensified.

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Media Must-Reads

New Reality, After Syria, Telegram Ban

Russian media roundup, April 13-19, 2018

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19 April 2018

In this week’s roundup: the Telegram ban was likely the most discussed development in the liberal corner of the Russian internet, while the rest of the political discussions focused mainly on the aftermath of the Syria strikes and the Kremlin’s plans to counter the latest round of U.S. sanctions.

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Media Must-Reads

Putin’s Choice, U.S. Sanctions, Skripal Debate, Syrian Crisis

Russian media roundup, April 6-12, 2018

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12 April 2018

Vladimir Putin’s landslide victory at the March presidential elections has been rapidly overshadowed by a cascade of upsets both inside Russia and on the international arena: the Volokolamsk “landfill upheaval,” the Kemerovo fire, the Skripal affair, the U.S. sanctions list, and now the escalation with the West over a reported Syrian chemical attack. Here’s what these stories look like from Russia.