Journalist Boris Grozovsky analyzes the results of the recent parliamentary election in Georgia, discusses the peculiarities of Georgian political culture and examines the mistakes of the opposition in the campaign. He paints a bleak picture of Georgia’s democratic backslide.

Political scientists Dima Kortukov and Julian Waller examine one of the latest instruments for indoctrinating of Russian youth: the videos accompanying a new, mandatory college course on Russian history.

Ahead of last Saturday’s parliament election in Georgia, Republic correspondent Maria Litvinova spoke with Georgians at competing “pro-European” and “pro-Russian” rallies in the capital of Tbilisi.

Sociologist Denis Volkov breaks down October surveys by the Levada Center showing low interest in the US presidential election among Russians. While there is more support for Trump, people generally remain skeptical about his ability to improve US-Russia relations and end the Ukraine conflict.

Journalist Sergei Shelin discusses what the Kremlin’s “pivot to the East” (and away from the West) has meant for the average person in Russia. He argues that neither Iran nor even China has replaced Europe in Russian hearts and minds.

Journalist Sergei Shelin writes that against the backdrop of the war, alcohol consumption in Russia, having declined for years, is back up, with stress, fear and grief as the main reasons.

Economists Vladislav Inozemtsev and Borukh Taskin look at ballooning fiscal spending on subsidized mortgages and possible government measures to solve the problem.

Journalist Tatiana Rybakova discusses how the Kremlin, in search of ways to pay for rising defense expenditures, is extracting more and more money from its subjects, including new taxes, heavy fines and property seizures.

Economist Sergey Aleksashenko talks in an interview about the reasons for the stability of the Russian economy in war conditions, about the problems of inflation and labor shortages, and about economic relations with China

Sociologist Anna Kuleshova spotlights Russian artists in exile, who, while dealing with the challenges faced by all emigrants, have managed to unite many of their compatriots living abroad and are changing the public image of their home country.

Publisher Vladimir Kharitonov looks at rising book censorship in Russia, describing the tools used to get rid of “bad” books and explaining how current practices differ from Soviet times.

Tequilajazzz is a rock band from St Petersburg founded in 1993 by people from the Leningrad Rock Club. The group has become a symbol of Russian alternative music. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it halted its activities in Russia, and its leader Yevgeny Fedorov openly condemned the aggression.

Historian Sergey Chernyshov outlines how Ivan the Terrible’s capture of Kazan in the 16th century has been viewed throughout the centuries and reflects on what Tatarstan’s recent ban on events to mark the exact date mean for Tatar identity.

Based on her research, Vlada Baranova claims that the war in Ukraine has led to the ethnicization of conflicts and confrontation between the federal authorities, perceived as “Russian,” and the indigenous population. Language and environmental activism is becoming more tinged with nationalism, as well.

Based on her conversations with protesters in Bashkortostan, sociologist Guzel Yusupova analyzes the nature of the recent protests in the region. She argues that they were fundamentally not about nationalism or separatism – rather, people rose up to express their outrage over injustice and corruption.

Following Wagner’s mutiny in June 2023 and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, the Russian government sought to replace the group in international operations in the Middle East and Africa. Antonio Giustozzi and David Lewis examine the shifts in Russian policy based on a series of interviews with Wagner personnel and other informed interlocutors.

In recent years, Georgia's ruling party has been shifting the country toward Russia, putting its long-standing cooperation with Washington and Brussels at risk. Nicholas Castillo examined the reasons behind this shift.

Moscow’s return to the Middle East rests on three main pillars: arms exports; access to military bases; and use of its private military companies, such as the Wagner Group.