Latest Articles about Russia
Putin’s Courts Playing Central Role in Keeping Russians Under His Thumb
Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the Russian courts part of his repressive machine, transforming them from being potentially the last line of defense of Russians’ constitutional rights into agencies to suppress those rights and keep Russians from protesting. Putin has done so... MORE
Eurasian Economic Union Struggles to Further Expand in Eurasia
Executive Summary: The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) faces growing challenges in expanding its influence, as key neighboring states, including Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, resist full membership. Russia’s geopolitical ambitions through the EAEU are hindered by competing regional forces, particularly the People’s Republic of China’s growing investment... MORE
Russia Faces Upsurge in Crime as Veterans Return from Ukraine
Executive Summary: Russian officials warn that the increasing crime rates in Russia are likely to continue rising as more soldiers return home from its war against Ukraine, creating a problem worse than when the Soviet veterans returned from Afghanistan in the 1990s. The number of... MORE
Strategic Snapshot: Three Years Since the Start of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Today, February 24, marks the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people and their military, with support from allies and partners, have withstood Russia’s unjustified, unprovoked, and brutal assault on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Today, Russia occupies... MORE
Russia Navigates Challenges to Achieve Optimistic Post-2035 LNG Strategy
Executive Summary: Russia’s global liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to grew in 2024, despite heavy sanctions. Russia plans to continue this trend and capture 20 to 25 percent of the global LNG market by 2035. To achieve this goal, Russia has created two strategies: a... MORE
Moscow Changes War Rhetoric but Stays War Course
Executive Summary: Moscow is altering its narratives on the confrontation with the West and its propaganda campaign on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in response to recent U.S.-initiated diplomatic activity. Russian state media has been instructed to avoid criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and... MORE
Grappling With Reality From the Baltic to the Bering
The first quarter of this century has proven that relations within Eurasia as a region and its relations with the rest of the world are unpredictable and volatile. The factors dividing this region often appear far more salient than any similarities. The work of the... MORE
Goodbye, Lenin: The Baltics Disconnect from Soviet-era Power Grid
Executive Summary: The Baltic states recently marked a major milestone by disconnecting from the Soviet-era electricity system and synchronizing with the continental European grid. The disconnect from the Moscow-controlled system was marked by Russian influence operations and incidents related to critical infrastructure in the Baltic... MORE
Kremlin’s Militarization of Russia’s Youngest Has Far-Reaching Consequences
Executive Summary: The militarization of Russia’s education system demonstrates that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to continue an aggressive foreign policy and to ensure that Moscow will follow a similar approach even after he departs. Studies on the effect of Nazism in Germany indicate that... MORE
China Exploiting Russian Weakness in Arctic–and Moscow Has Reason to Worry
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has expanded its activities in the Arctic since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow needs PRC engagement in the Arctic as sanctions limit Russian activities, but fears the PRC will try to become the... MORE