Latest Articles about Domestic/Social

Kremlin Propaganda Uses Alexander Ovechkin’s Hockey Record to Promote Russian Nationalism
Executive Summary: The Kremlin is using Russian ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin’s record as the all-time National Hockey League–North America’s professional ice hockey league—scorer to promote nationalism, claiming the achievement for Russia. Russian President Putin has long used sports to symbolize Russian values and project... MORE

Russia’s Demographic Problems Set Stage for Future Political Challenges
Executive Summary: Russia’s demographic decline is accelerating, with the population giving birth to fewer babies during the first quarter of 2025 than at any time in the last two centuries. Moscow is alarmed by demographic decline because of the impact of population decline on the... MORE

Militarization of Regional Policy Leads to Decline of Federalism in Russia
Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin has increasingly relied on expansionist, militaristic foreign policy in his 25-year rule to centralize power and justify the dissolution of Russian federalism. Moscow has stripped regional governments of the power to economically and socially self-develop, leaving them only able... MORE

Belarusian Society Opts for Closer Relations with Russia and the People’s Republic of China
Executive Summary: An overwhelming majority of Belarusians believe Minsk should first prioritize economic relations with Russia followed by relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), according to a national opinion poll on foreign policy priorities conducted in late 2024. Belarusian public opinion remains adaptable... MORE

Many Russians Outraged by Government Promotion of Underage Pregnancy to Boost Birthrate
Executive Summary: Nearly half of Russia’s regional leaders have launched programs to give payments of up to 150,000 rubles ($1,600) to underage girls who become pregnant and give birth as a way to reverse Russia’s demographic decline and win favor from the Kremlin. This policy... MORE

Environmental Protest in Russia Again a Seedbed of Political Opposition
Executive Summary: Nominally “apolitical” ecological protests are becoming seedbeds of political activism in Russia because of the importance of the environment to Russian citizens and Moscow’s clumsy approach to its maintenance. The Vladimir Putin regime is increasingly aware of the threat posed by environmental activism... MORE

Widespread Liberalization of Russian Domestic Policy Remains Unlikely
Executive Summary: The Kremlin is reportedly considering “post-war normalization” scenarios, involving the rehabilitation of public figures and return of emigrants who left at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to project internal stability amid prospects for a peace deal with Ukraine. Russia continues... MORE

Russia’s FSB and Law Enforcement Tactics Suppress Opposition
Executive Summary: The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has evolved from a traditional security agency into a political repression tool, prioritizing control of dissent rather than addressing actual security threats. The FSB controls key Russian state institutions—including the police, judiciary, and prosecutors—creating a security infrastructure... MORE

Ethnic Enclaves Spreading Across Russia, Intensifying Xenophobia and Alarming Moscow
Executive Summary: Xenophobia toward immigrants and ethnic minorities in Russia has reached nearly its highest level in decades, prompting some groups to form ethnic enclaves, which, in turn, has exacerbated hostility toward these groups. Both immigrants and ethnic minorities, as well as Russian nationalists who... MORE

Moscow Using High Unemployment to Try to Control Most Recalcitrant of Republics
Executive Summary: Ingushetia, a republic in Russia’s North Caucasus, is being pacified and kept dependent on Moscow as intentional Kremlin policies, rather than policy failures or Ingush shortcomings, are causing high unemployment. Moscow has often used Ingushetia to test out policies and if it concludes... MORE