Executive Summary: The Kremlin has turned reconstruction activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine into a patronage system that enriches federal elites and loyal local governors. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin oversees a vast federal program that channels millions of dollars via opaque procurement and... MORE

Executive Summary: The failed attempt to organize a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest deepened tensions over the war against Ukraine, prompting renewed Russian nuclear posturing and strategic unease. Putin’s reliance on exaggerated battlefield “successes” and nuclear brinkmanship... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has led to a domestic fuel crisis, as Ukraine’s repeated drone strikes on oil facilities, as well as international sanctions, have constrained Russia’s largest industry. In September, Russia’s gasoline production fell by almost a quarter, forcing... MORE

Executive Summary: Ukrainians are working on establishing practical steps toward post-war justice to further any meaningful opportunities for peace. These steps include agreements and funding on a future special tribunal, local initiatives to empower survivors and preserve the memory of victims, and the creation of... MORE

Executive Summary: President Vladimir Putin has entrusted First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko with even greater responsibilities after relieving Dmitry Kozak of his duties as deputy head of Russia’s Presidential Administration. In recent years, Kiriyenko has significantly expanded his influence, both in managing domestic... MORE

In memory of Janusz Bugajski, friend, colleague, and promoter of Promethean Ideas Executive Summary: Moscow is increasingly alarmed by the spread of Prometheanism, a set of ideas developed in pre-war Poland that posits that the Muscovite state is an empire, joint efforts can best achieve... MORE

Executive Summary: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet in Budapest to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine during an October 16 phone call that preempted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington. Putin’s phone call yielded a short-term advantage by... MORE

Executive Summary: Ahead of winter, Russia launched another campaign of combined air strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including energy, gas production, and railway facilities. Russia is continually upgrading its missiles and strike drones, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of its air attacks. Several Ukrainian cities have... MORE

Executive Summary: Kyiv is moving toward more openly backing non-Russian national movements within Russia. It is convinced that such efforts will help it defeat Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and that the decolonization of Russia will ensure Ukraine’s future security. Such moves, which have their origins... MORE

Executive Summary: Moscow’s muted response to the October 10 announcement of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win and the ceasefire in Gaza underline how Russia’s war against Ukraine has come to dominate the Kremlin’s attention. Recent independent polling by the Levada... MORE