The Caspian Sea, once considered a “Russian lake,” is becoming a more multipolar space. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan have expanded their navies, built new security accords with each other, and increased cooperation with Türkiye. Russia has responded with naval cooperation with Iran, but this alliance... MORE

Executive Summary: Moscow believes the upcoming Alaska summit will end Russian President Vladimir Putin’s international isolation, taking note of its location in Alaska, which Russia once owned.   Russian commentators are interpreting the summit as U.S. acceptance of Moscow’s view that decisions can be made about... MORE

Executive Summary: A recent joint investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Moldovan outlet CU SENS confirmed that Moscow had established secret paramilitary camps in the Balkans to train Moldovan citizens in destabilization tactics ahead of Moldova’s October 2024 presidential elections. The Kremlin... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin has increased its suppression of regional self-government since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, fearing any manifestation of independence. In several regions, however, the local population has opposed such suppression, and the people’s mood aligns closer with... MORE

Executive Summary: Returning veterans of the war against Ukraine pose an increasingly sinister threat to Russian society as violent crime in the country has skyrocketed, reaching a 15-year high. A return of “Afghan syndrome” and the inability to utilize specialized combat skills after military service... MORE

Executive Summary: The head of the Duma’s defense committee has called for processing men to be drafted not two times a year as now but year-round, something he says would reduce tensions in the spring and fall campaigns by giving all involved time to operate... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin tasked Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu with strengthening the military-political alliance between Russia and the North Korea, sparking rumors of his potential appointment as Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang. The prospect of personnel changes in the Security... MORE

Executive Summary: The nationalist, ultraconservative Russian Community has grown in popularity in recent months, with reports that the paramilitary group is coordinating closely with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service (FSB), and other state structures. The organization differs from similar formations in... MORE

Buryats Rediscover Their National Identity by Marina Khankhalain and members of Tusgaar Buryad, the movement for Buryatia’s independence, is the third article in a series of analyses as part of “Promethean Liberation: Russia’s Emerging National and Regional Movements,” a project from Jamestown Senior Fellow Janusz... MORE

Executive Summary: New laws upping the penalties for Russians who access “extremist” content through unauthorized means reflect Moscow’s growing paranoia with an increasingly frustrated population. Russian officials have justified widespread Internet outages as necessary to the war effort, though many see it as a smokescreen... MORE