Riddle Russia on how the inability to influence the regime determines the scale of protests and shapes attitudes towards the war and personal strategies during the mobilization campaign
Riddle Russia on recognition technology as a new tool of population control
Riddle Russia on how Serbia is signaling readiness to support anti-Russian sanctions as part of its push for European integration
Riddle Russia flags up the weaponised use of misogyny and homophobia in anti-Ukrainian discourse
Riddle Russia on what Russians think of the ‘special military operation' and mobilisation
Riddle Russia predicts a major economic fallout from Russia’s «partial» mobilization — and from the mass exodus of young people leaving the country to avoid the draft. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) will be especially hard hit.
Riddle Russia on why over 5 months into the war most Russians feel optimistic about the future
Riddle Russia explains what the ‘Putin majority' is all about
Riddle Russia on how to interpret polling results on support for Russia’s ‘special military operation'
Riddle Russia on why the issue of sanctions against Moscow remains open despite a lucrative gas contract
Riddle Russia on how Moscow’s actions towards the West resonated in the Middle East
Riddle Russia believes Moscow will not succeed in convincing Belgrade to recognise Crimea as Russian or give up European integration
Riddle Russia on Russia’s economic outlook and 2022−2024 draft federal budget
Riddle Russia discusses whether the Taliban are ready to stop terrorist attacks by international jihadists and ensure the security in Central Asia and Russia
Riddle Russia on how Moscow and Beijing confront the «collective West» in BiH and Kosovo
Riddle Russia on Russia’s policy in Lebanon
Riddle Russia on the Russian Middle East policy reform
Riddle Russia on Russia’s race to carbon neutrality
Riddle Russia on the challenges to and prospects for the Islamic education system in Russia
Riddle Russia on whether the battle against global warming can bring Russia and the West closer together
Riddle Russia on the prospects for small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia
Riddle Russia reflect on why Russian ethnic minority regions show staunch support for an ethnic Russian president
Riddle Russia on how Russia is losing the battle to vaccinate Serbia to China
Riddle Russia looks at current and future sanctions in response to Alexei Navalny’s poisoning
Riddle Russia on urgent anti-crisis measures that Moscow should take on Libya
Riddle Russia wonders whether Russia-India relations can withstand opposing views on China, the US, and Pakistan
Riddle Russia on how Moscow has dispelled myths about having a strategy for the Middle East
Riddle Russia examines rival attempts by the US and Russia to internationally regulate cyberspace and wonders whether such a consistently fraught outlook will change with the incoming Biden Administration
Riddle Russia on relations between Moscow and Ankara: their positive prospects and areas of potential conflict
Riddle Russia on Russia’s place in the new EU energy policy
Riddle Russia looks at how and why different regions in Russia try to carve out their own foreign policy dynamics
Riddle Russia wonders why «Navalny's list» is so short and whether the defendants will be able to lift these sanctions in the EU Court of Justice
Riddle Russia discusses what the recent Cyprus Papers leak and ongoing sanctions will mean for Russians seeking a «golden passport»
Riddle Russia on the risks of political abuse of psychiatry
Riddle Russia on how Russia turned into an international disposal site for nuclear waste
Riddle Russia describe how Moscow is trying to support the armed opposition without weakening al-Assad
Riddle Russia takes a close look at the recent Duma proposals to alter Russian sanctions law
Riddle Russia combs through the «Caesar Act,» which enables sanctions for supporting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, and wonders if the move is significant or effective
Riddle Russia investigates Russia’s struggle to legalise diamond exports from the Central African Republic
Riddle Russia investigates why and how Russia is upping the diplomatic tempo in Bosnia
Riddle Russia on how in the absence of effective state responses, civic groups in Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic
Riddle Russia on criteria for assessing the performance of Russian governors
Riddle Russia discuss the objectives of an anti-Damascus information campaign and look at possible changes among the Syrian power elite
Moscow’s inability to introduce a full quarantine reflects the depth of Russia’s deep regional inequalities, writes Riddle Russia
Riddle Russia on the reasons why the Russian leadership does not intend to save small and medium-sized enterprises
Putin has become the key subject of Russian memes, writes Riddle Russia — once to his credit, but increasingly to his detriment
Riddle Russia outlines what needs to be done to better prevent torture in Russia
As it becomes clear that Russia’s state bureaucracy is unprepared to deal with this crisis, the Kremlin is attempting to shift responsibility, writes Riddle Russia
Riddle Russia on the role of elections in shaping democratic values (on the example of the Perm Krai)
With the help of local friends and pro-Kremlin media, the Russian Orthodox Church has launched a propaganda campaign in the Balkans, writes Riddle Russia
Riddle Russia on the diffusion of responsibility for policies in the Middle East
Riddle Russia on the impact of the downed Boeing 737 on Russia-Iran military and technical cooperation
Riddle Russia on the continuous schism between supporters and opponents of the domestic violence law in Russia
Riddle Russia on how Russia introduced PMCs to Libya and is trying to maintain a certain balance of power in the country
Serbia is attempting to set out some red lines in its relations with Russia. But can it still do so while maintaining its uneasy balance between great powers, asks Riddle Russia
Riddle Russia explains why Moscow’s peacemaking efforts in Syria ring hollow
Riddle Russia considers why the Russian authorities have resorted to aggressively prosecuting former law enforcement officers
Riddle Russia on how Turkey and Russia filled the vacuum after the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria
Riddle Russia on how Russia cultivates influence in Africa with a promise of nuclear power
Riddle Russia argues that unless Russia changes its economic strategy and undertakes structural reforms, the country is doomed to stagnation and its population to gradual impoverishment
Riddle Russia on the new repressive technologies shackling the Russian internet
Riddle Russia on the Russian government’s refugee policy
Riddle Russia on how loans are replacing social policy in Russia
Riddle Russia on what is happening with the territories that returned under the control of the Assad regime, but where a fairly high level of anti-government sentiment has been preserved
Riddle Russia on women's departments at Islamic universities in Dagestan
Riddle Russia considers recent disputes between Russia’s investigative committee and the country’s medical professionals
In trying to address the rising number of child suicides in Russia, the authorities have resorted to their usual solutions: draconian bans and censorship. These methods are completely inadequate
Part five of ‘Safety first': security, threats and academia
Recent endeavours in the Balkans haven’t gone as the Kremlin would have hoped. But that doesn’t mean Moscow will abandon its ambitious goals for the region, writes Riddle Russia
The fourth part of the series ‘Safety first': the changing role of veterans' organisations in Russia
Riddle Russia on why Putin will not copy Nazarbayev’s succession model
Riddle Russia on what is being done — and what is not being done — to limit human rights violations in Russia’s penitentiary system
Riddle Russia on Kremlin’s interests in Libya
The Balkans remains a site of confrontation between Russia and the West — here’s why it will stay that way for the foreseeable future
What are the consequences of the American withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, and what do they mean for the region and all interested parties?
A burgeoning military and political alignment between Russia and China has provoked alarmist headlines in various western media outlets. But the reality in China is that its foreign policy community has other concerns; its officials and experts are still unprepared and unwilling to cultivate a fully fledged alliance with Russia.
Will a tax on self-employed income work in Russia?
What are the risks of growing household debt overhang?
Why is Nord Stream 2 a threat to the EU, but not to Germany?
For a long time, the political regimes of Russia and Kazakhstan were moving in one direction but, over time, the two countries began to display different trends.
Too few safeguards exist to protect orphans from physical or sexual abuse
The 2018 FIFA World Cup has helped push federal investments into regional infrastructure. These were long overdue, and are turning selected cities into ‘decent' living places. But only in the short term
Long-promised deliveries of Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria have still not happened. Why not?
How RuNet users end up behind bars
The example of Tatarstan proves that formal institutions in Russia are eroding
Nearly 50,000 women are serving time in Russia's harsh penitentiary system. Living conditions are often inhumane
Russia’s regional governments owe vast sums to commercial banks and the federal government in Moscow. Those debts are spiralling out of control and need repaying. But where will those repayments come from?
How did the Russian army change over time?