Tuesday, September 30
The Arctic as a MacGuffin in the US-Russia Relationship
The Arctic could become an ideal place for US-Russia infrastructure diplomacy, but sanctions and a lack of mutual trust stand in the way. An agenda addressing the climate crisis might offer a chance to restart regional cooperation, yet both official Washington and Moscow are skeptical of environmental protection.
Wednesday, September 3
Is a “Trumputin Pact” Possible? Personal Relations Versus Institutional Hollowness in US-Russia Relations
Driven by leaders’ personal chemistry, US-Russia relations have long been prone to falling apart when core national interests clash. Currently, Trump is betting that a personally negotiated deal with Putin could succeed where institutions have failed – but history says otherwise.
Tuesday, September 2
Alaska: Orthodoxy Caught Up in Geopolitics
Vladimir Putin’s surprise meeting with Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska during his recent U.S. visit has stirred deep unease within the Orthodox Church in America. Far from a mere exchange of courtesies, the encounter has been criticized as a carefully staged act of Kremlin propaganda—one that risks compromising the Church’s moral integrity and entangling it in the politics of war.
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Thursday, September 18
Russian Schools After 2022: Less Autonomy, More Ideology
An institutional transformation has taken place in Russia’s school system since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Teachers are supposed to transmit more and more ideology, even beyond the well-known “Conversations about Important Things.” The psychological atmosphere in schools is becoming increasingly toxic. These are the conclusions of a study by a group of education experts who, as is often the case now, chose to remain anonymous. The study has been covered by Meduza and Re:Russia.
Tuesday, September 16
‘Rhizome,’ Not ‘Tree’: How Russian Civil Society Has Evolved in the Face of Repression
Having conducted a large-scale study of Russia’s civil society, independent researchers from the Arendt Center argue that civic activism has not disappeared; rather, it continues to exist as a “rhizome,” a flexible and fluctuating network that, despite pressure from the state, retains the capacity to resist and to uphold human dignity.
Thursday, September 11
Social Media in Russia: What Is Allowed, What Is Not, and How the Law, Monitoring Techniques and Technologies Are Evolving
In 2025, Russia has moved closer than ever to total digital isolation, using AI-driven censorship, sweeping laws and targeted blocks of certain platform to cut Russians off from global social media and restrict online expression.
Thursday, September 25
The Economy Is Not the Soft Spot of the Putin Regime
Despite the rising budget deficit, driven higher by military spending, Russia remains capable of generating the economic resources to sustain the Kremlin’s populism, argues economist Vladislav Inozemtsev.
Saturday, September 13
What Could Postwar Economic Cooperation Between Russia and the US Look Like?
Robert Agee, who heads AmCham Russia, gave an interview to RBC about the prospects for commercial relations between Russia and the US moving forward. Among the most promising areas are the Arctic and rare earth metals.
Tuesday, September 9
Power of Siberia 2: Russia to Keep Subsidizing Gas to China at a Loss
Gazprom has recently reported progress in talks with China on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline. Oil and gas market expert Mikhail Krutikhin argues that the colossal costs of building it will have to be swallowed so Gazprom can fulfill its obligations on the first Power of Siberia contract and that the project will never break even.
Tuesday, September 23
Russia’s Book Market Growing Amid ‘Chaotic’ Censorship
The situation in the Russian book market today seems like a paradox. On the one hand, the industry looks to be thriving; on the other hand, anything that falls outside the “norm” is suppressed with terrifying severity. I describe this two-sided picture in the first person – as someone who has worked in the industry for years.
Friday, March 28
‘The Interpersonal Is Political’: The Cultural Flourishing of the New Russian Emigration
Cultural historian Ilya Kukulin examines key innovations in Russian-speaking cultural institution-building that have emerged outside of Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Thursday, January 30
Russian-Language Publishing Abroad: Activism, a Hobby or Something Else?
Publisher Felix Sandalov discusses an important Russian cultural phenomenon of the 2020s, the so-called “new tamizdat” – the publication of banned books and writers by emigrant publishers outside of Russia.
Monday, December 23
‘Were It Not For The Funerals…’: The War In a Small Town In the Urals
Based on ethnographic research of small-town Russia, sociologists Yakov Lurie and Sasha Kappinen challenge the idea of the war in Ukraine as a major turning point or defining political event.
Tuesday, October 15
What the Ban on Commemorating the Capture of Kazan Means for the Tatar Nation
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.
Wednesday, February 21
Turning Point? The Ethnicization of Social Issues and What Indigenous Communities Think About It
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.
Wednesday, September 25
After Prigozhin: Does Wagner Group Have a Future?
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.
Tuesday, August 27
The ‘Global War Party’: How Georgian Dream Talks about the West, Russia and the Russia-Ukraine War
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.
Wednesday, July 10
How Has Putin’s ‘Special Military Operation’ Affected Russian Arms Exports to MENA?
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.
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