Governance
Political actors
Politics

Russia’s Securitized Boomerism

Julian G. Waller discusses the problem of generational sclerosis within Russia’s elite and new efforts at belated reform
Riddle Political News Week
Heavy Strokes from the Kremlin’s Chief Ideologue
Andrey Pertsev sums up the political week (November 3−7)
Andrey Pertsev sums up the political week (November 3−7)
By Andrey Pertsev
Riddle Economic News Week
Timing is Everything
Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (October 20−24)
Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (October 20−24)
By Nick Trickett
US Nuclear Tests Will Seal the Demise of Arms Control

Maxim Starchak examines how Trump could ignite a nuclear arms race, drawing in Russia, China, and other nuclear powers whether they like it or not
The Middle East on the Ukrainian Front: From One-Off Actions to Systematic Recruitment

Nikita Smagin on how the Middle East is emerging as a promising manpower pool for Russia's armed forces
In His Own Image and Likeness

Andrey Pertsev on how Sergei Kiriyenko is shaping his personnel strategy
State of Unreadiness

Andras Toth-Czifra on Russian Regional Budgets in 2025−26
LNG in the Crosshairs: Will the EU’s 19th Sanctions Package Prove a Turning Point?

Vakhtang Partsvania on why the European Union's ban on Russian LNG imports marks a pivotal advance in its sanctions strategy
Top reads
  • AfD’s Pro-Russian Tilt: Genuine Pivot or Tactical Feint?

    Dmitri Stratievski assesses whether the far-right Alternative for Germany can sever ties with Moscow to bolster its political legitimacy

  • Russians Want Peace, But on Their Own Terms

    Margarita Zavadskaya on the format and conditions under which Russians would like to end the war in Ukraine

  • LNG in the Crosshairs: Will the EU’s 19th Sanctions Package Prove a Turning Point?

    Vakhtang Partsvania on why the European Union's ban on Russian LNG imports marks a pivotal advance in its sanctions strategy

  • Political Fixers: How Russia’s Election Results Get Cooked

    Ksenia Smolakova on the art of rigging outcomes—even in elections that were never free to begin with

  • Moscow and Damascus: A New Chapter

    Platon Nikiforov on how Putin and al-Sharaa are rebooting Russian-Syrian ties

  • State of Unreadiness

    Andras Toth-Czifra on Russian Regional Budgets in 2025−26

  • The Middle East on the Ukrainian Front: From One-Off Actions to Systematic Recruitment

    Nikita Smagin on how the Middle East is emerging as a promising manpower pool for Russia's armed forces

  • Opposition Without Borders: The Limits of Political Emigration

    Alexey Uvarov on the opportunities and constraints facing political exiles in advocating for their interests

Authors
  • Julian Waller

    Research Analyst in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA Corporation) and a Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University
  • Maxim Starchak

    Fellow of the Center for International and Defence Policy, Queen’s University (Canada), expert on Russian nuclear policy and nuclear industry
  • Nikita Smagin

    Expert on Iran, Islamism and Russia’s foreign policy in the Middle East, author of the book «Iran for Everyone: Paradoxes of Life in an Autocracy under…
  • Andras Toth-Czifra

    Political analyst, author of the analytical blog «No Yardstick»
  • Vakhtang Partsvania

    Economist, Professor of Management at Caucasus University
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