Executive Summary: In response to what Moscow labels the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s militarization of the Arctic, Russia has significantly restructured its Arctic policies. Russia has expanded the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and enacted symbolic legislative and institutional changes to cement federal control... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia is warming 2.7 times faster than the global average due to positive feedback loops resulting from Russia’s distinct geography, with alarming consequences for Arctic infrastructure and regional ecosystems. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have shifted from skepticism about climate change... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine are making and sending home video protests to their local governments about a wide variety of issues, boosting the profile of opposition causes. Video protests from soldiers are increasing because commanders are unwilling to spark more anger in... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian officials have begun to address the degrading state of critical civilian infrastructure, particularly heating systems, ahead of the coming winter. The past few years have seen catastrophic incidents leaving many Russians without heat. Russian officials blame numerous sources for these issues—including Russian... MORE

Executive Summary: The Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6, demonstrated Moscow’s shortcomings in its commitment to pivoting its economic policy toward the Asia-Pacific, especially China. Stagnation rather than expansion is the trend in Russia-China economic interactions, as Chinese companies are... MORE

Executive Summary: EU member states and other Western powers have introduced restrictive sanctions against Russia’s diamond-producing industry, a major contributor to the Russian economy, such as restrictions against the import of Russian diamonds directly or from other countries. Other diamond-producing countries, many of which are... MORE

Executive Summary: The population of the Russian Far East has fallen by almost a third since 1991, a decline that is accelerating again despite Putin’s efforts to stop it. One-third of those remaining say they want to leave, and another third likely share those plans.... MORE

Executive Summary: President Vladimir Putin once again installed new governors in several of Russia’s regions, with special focus given to the expected regional response to the appointments in Khabarovsk Krai and Kaliningrad oblast. The mission of these new appointees is to suppress the interests of... MORE

Executive Summary: Booming demand for Russians who know Chinese, a product of Putin’s turn to the East, is exacerbating long-standing fears that Moscow will lose control over lands east of the Urals. The flight of Russians from the vast and underpopulated region, combined with the... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia is struggling to attract more volunteers to fight in Ukraine, and Moscow has increasingly turned to the outer regions for recruitment. Such an approach has raised ethnic tensions in some regions where the volunteers are largely non-ethnic Russians, while other regions have... MORE