Executive Summary: Russia is expanding the role of the Cossacks, notably the Cossack Cadets Corps, as a significant structure in its national youth policy and as a tool for military indoctrination. Cossack groups are spreading into new domestic regions, such as Irkutsk oblast and Krasnoyarsk... MORE

Executive Summary: The number of policemen in the Russian Federation has declined significantly since the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as many have gone to fight. Now, more than a third of the police positions in Russia are vacant. Lack... MORE

Executive Summary: On October 14, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld Tbilisi’s claim in the case Georgia v. Russia (IV) and ordered Russia to pay 253 million euros ($295 million) as compensation to Georgian citizens who were affected by the “borderization” process following... 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

Executive Summary: U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest and imposed sanctions on Russia for the first time since taking office, reportedly due to Putin’s rejection of a ceasefire in Ukraine. The U.S. sanctions target energy... MORE

Executive Summary: After nearly 25 years, Russia is closest to constructing a new mining and processing plant at the Pavlovskoye lead-zinc deposit in the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. The Pavlovskoye project was abandoned after Western sanctions caused Finnish companies to withdraw participation in construction... 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: The maiden Arctic voyage of the Istanbul Bridge from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the U.K. via Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) halved transit time to 20 days, signaling potentially growing PRC–Russian cooperation in Arctic trade corridors. Despite the advantages of... MORE

Executive Summary: Some Russian federal subjects are reducing the bonuses awarded to new military recruits, though earlier in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the regions competed among themselves to offer the highest subsidies.   These new cutbacks stem from growing financial constraints, also reflected in overall spending... MORE