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Latest Articles about Europe's East
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Russian Society Disfigured and Degraded by the ‘Long War’
Executive Summary: The Kremlin’s tactics of increasing repression and exaggerating domestic support for the war resemble strategies used during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Stalin’s earlier repressions. The Kremlin attempted to use the coinciding of Navalny’s death with Russian successes at Avdiivka to undermine... MORE
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Putin Has Yet to Signal a Real Openness to Peace Negotiations
Executive Summary: The first sign that Putin would be truly ready for peace negotiations would be discretely initiating contact through intelligence personnel, diplomats, and “useful idiots.” The West should have several signals in mind when considering Putin’s true intentions, as Kremlin messaging could be a... MORE
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Iranian-Russian Alliance Deepens Amid Global Conflicts
Executive Summary: Iran and Russia have steadily strengthened their bilateral cooperation over the past couple of years, primarily based on the destruction of common adversaries, a shared ideological alignment, and expanded military collaboration. Tehran and Moscow have intensified their arms trade and technical assistance on... MORE
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Upcoming Elections in Belarus Highlight Autocratic Political Landscape
Executive Summary: The upcoming Belarusian elections highlight a political landscape dominated by a few parties that support the existing regime in Minsk amid criticism of limited political alternatives and a lack of international observers. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s emphasis on generational change raises speculation about succession,... MORE
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Russia’s Post-Putin Future Becomes Darker
Executive Summary: Alexei Navalny’s death may spur the West to take more decisive actions against Russia. The US House of Representatives may now be pressured to pass the $95 billion package for aid to Ukraine, and Western governments may consider seizing foreign-held Russian assets. Navalny’s... MORE
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Water Shortages in Russian-Occupied Crimea Set to Trigger Mass Outmigration
Executive Summary: Russian-occupied Crimea is now facing water shortages so severe that as many as 500,000 of the peninsula’s 2.5 million residents may soon be forced to try to flee despite Moscow’s claims to the contrary. Such outmigration undermines Russian control. It also creates difficulties... MORE
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Belarus and Uzbekistan Proclaim a New Chapter in Relations
Executive Summary: Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka visited Uzbekistan to strengthen bilateral relations between the two post-Soviet states. Economic relations between Uzbekistan and Belarus are becoming stronger. Bilateral trade has increased significantly in the past few years. The strain of Western sanctions on Belarus due to... MORE
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Baltics and Ukraine Move to Reduce Russian Orthodoxy to Smaller National Church
Executive Summary: The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is gradually losing its position at home–and more rapidly in some post-Soviet states–due to its slavish support of Putin’s war in Ukraine. While Kyiv is about to ban its branch, Tallinn is demolishing a compromise... MORE
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Belarus Further Strengthens Ties with Russia
Executive Summary: Belarusian President Lukashenka strengthens ties with Russia through various events, emphasizing economic cooperation, joint ventures, and alignment on historical narratives to cement their alliance further. These symbolic gestures showcase a united front against perceived Western threats, reinforcing the ideological bond between Belarus and... MORE
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Kremlin Lures Russians to Support War with Access to Its Spoils
Executive Summary: Support for Russian presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin indicates readiness among Russians to oppose the war openly, reflecting discontent with both Putin and ongoing conflicts and motivating the Kremlin to regain support. The Kremlin has linked war benefits to everyday needs, portraying destruction as... MORE