Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with activists from the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) in July, demonstrating the Kremlin’s reliance on government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOs) to mobilize support for his war against Ukraine. The ONF highlights achievements in infrastructure and social projects while directly... MORE

Executive Summary: Veterans returning from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine are powering the rise of the radical Russian nationalist “Northern Man” group, putting it in a position to challenge the better-known Russian Community controlled by the Kremlin and Orthodox Church. Many of the... MORE

Executive Summary: Sergey Karaganov, one of the founders of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, has created the “Code of the Russian” to codify an analogue of Soviet ideals adapted to Putin’s Russia. Stalin’s image is being rehabilitated in Russia through new monuments... MORE

Executive Summary: A new report by the Xinhua Institute argues that U.S. “cognitive warfare” attempts to “colonize” the minds of people across the world, in particular in global south countries. American influence is framed as ideological infiltration designed to generate social conflicts, undermine stability, and... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian fatality estimates in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine vary widely, but analysis of open-source data suggests they exceed 175,000 between February 2022 and July 2025. Older Russian men and ethnic minorities are disproportionately dying in the war—many deaths come from... MORE

Executive Summary:    In the five years since Belarus’s 2020 protest movement, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime has become characterized by systematic, violent repression of dissent. The country, isolated from the West, became a military foothold for Russia and fell into political, economic, and informational... 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: Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has aimed to stamp out any open criticism or opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war. Russia has expanded its definition of those it considers “foreign agents” and “terrorists and extremists”... MORE

Executive Summary: Starting September 1, Moscow will fine Russians for accessing or searching for “extremist” content, including via virtual private network (VPN) technology, to control how Russians use the Internet without fully blocking it. The Putin regime has taken these steps to limit the growing... MORE