Andrei Belousov, who took over as Russian defense minister two years ago, has long been considered a textbook technocrat, rarely speaking publicly and lacking political ambitions. Yet things look different today, according to economist Andrei Yakovlev, with many indications that his influence in the state apparatus has risen considerably. Going forward, Belousov may play an even bigger role in the Russian system of power.

The elites in Russia and the US have fundamentally different worldviews. Donald Trump’s approach toward peacemaking as a transactional deal seems unreconcilable with the ideological and revanchist nature of the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine and the West, political scientist Maria Snegovaya argues.

Kremlin-backed foreign policy experts argue in a recent report that the era of stability in international relations is over – in its place has emerged a world of permanent instability in which chaos is the core feature of international politics.

A new biography of famous Russian photographer Dmitri Markov has revealed that he was gay, sparking controversy. Historian Rustam Alexander argues that this case reflects the absence of thoughtful public discourse around gender and sexuality in modern-day Russia, which can be traced to the Soviet past.

A new survey by the independent Russian think tank Platforma finds that Russians see the state as the key driver of positive social change and see limited opportunities for themselves to affect social policy, which makes them feel like “passive observers.”

OVD-Info’s latest report suggests repression in Russia is shifting into “gray areas,” with treason, extremism and terrorism charges used more widely in 2025. The authorities continue to ratchet up pressure on activists, minorities and dissenters even as arrests at protests have declined.

Against the backdrop of the Iran war, prices for Russian oil have risen to 13-year highs. Yet owing to other factors, including Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, the Kremlin has proven unable to take full advantage of the situation, argues economist Maxim Blant.

The current conflagration in the Middle East has brought short-term benefits to Russia in the form of soaring oil and gas prices, as well as renewed interest from several countries in importing energy from Russia. Yet the war, whenever it ends, looks set to create new long-term problems for the Kremlin, argues economic analyst Maxim Blant.

The Russian economy meets the start of the fifth year of the Russia-Ukraine war significantly weakened. It is increasingly weighed down by sanctions, war-related fiscal profligacy, declining oil production and exports, and cost and capacity issues in the military-industrial complex, argues economist Igor Lipsits.

In recent months, the US has been increasing pressure on the Russian oil sector. After imposing sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil last autumn, the Trump administration has been pressuring India with the ostensible goal of depriving Russia of one of the key remaining buyers of its oil. Oil and gas market expert Sergei Vakulenko of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center believes that even in the worst-case scenario of US sanctions, Russia will likely still export enough oil to continue financing its war.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.