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Articles by Andrei Kolesnikov
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russia’s Second, Silent War Against its Human Capital
Russia's failing fight against population decline is due to more than prevailing demographic trends.
5 Min read
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Scientific Putinism: Shaping Official Ideology in Russia
There is a belief that the Russian elite under President Vladimir Putin has only ever been interested in money. Yet Putin’s militant, anti-liberal...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Is It Possible to Plan for Life After Putin?
Discussions of how a post-Putin Russia might look have been on the rise for some time, even if such a concept remains wishful thinking for the time being...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russia’s Prison Brand of Economic Self-Sufficiency
Prison labor may prove to be one of the mainstays of Russia's economic development.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
The Unique Banality of Vladimir Putin
All dictators are alike, but none have the suicidal ideology of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
When Culture Reaches for a Gun
Hermitage Museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky has become just another Putin supporter.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
When Russian Artillery Shells its Own People
Putinism destroys not only the legitimacy of its own regime, but also the foundation of the nation's identity.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Russians Are Hostages to Putin
Russians woke up in a different country on Feb. 24, even if they don't yet understand the scale of the change.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
What Would a War With Ukraine Mean for Ordinary Russians?
Instead of mobilizing public opinion ahead of the 2024 presidential election, a war with Ukraine would have the opposite effect.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How Do Russians Feel About a War With Ukraine?
Militarization stopped being a way to mobilize Russians in support of the government in 2018.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russian Protest, From Pushkinskaya to Chistoprudny and Back Again
Russia’s new form of protest movement turns 10 this year and, like an underground fire, could ignite again at any time.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Not Navalny? Nobel Committee Honors Journalists Over Politicians
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to someone who personifies freedom of speech: something that is crucial to prevent Navalny from remaining in an...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Will Russia’s Upcoming Duma Elections Change Anything At All?
The authorities are faced with the task of convincing democratic-minded voters that there is no point in voting, while making every effort to boost turnout...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
One Year On, Navalny's Poisoning Signaled the Start of Russia's Accelerated Crackdown
Navalny’s return and arrest only accelerated the Russian autocracy’s adoption of an even more repressive model of governance.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Are the Protest Movements Dead in Russia and Belarus?
One year on, repressive measures have squelched the protest movements that arose in Khabarovsk and Belarus, but that smoldering resentment has simply gone...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Is Stalin’s Popularity On the Rise?
To people outside of Russia, it might seem deeply shocking and incomprehensible that Stalin’s popularity is growing at such a pace. Yet it is an entirely...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How One University Rector Forever Changed Russian Education
Kuzminov allowed maximal academic freedom, but it was this that tore apart his power and he was forced into compromises and obedience.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Grassroots Repression — Russian-style
First, the authorities persecuted activists. Then they went after journalists. And now, they’ve trained their sights on lawyers.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Fathers and Sons: A Kremlin-KGB Remake
By arresting family members of persecuted people, today's authorities declare themselves to be the direct successors of Stalin’s repressive system.
...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Navalny Makes Many Russians Uncomfortable
Navalny is pushing Russians out of their comfort zone. For now, public opinion is mainly that of a distrustful observer.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How Has Society Changed in the Wake of the Winter Protests?
The reasons for protest are accumulating, and there is colossal anger, despite underwhelming trust ratings for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Might Versus Right: Putin’s Bunker and the Protests Outside
Putin’s willingness to resort to police batons has polarized society and radicalized those who are dissatisfied with his rule.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How Biden Will Impact Russian Domestic Policy
What action the Russian authorities take largely depends on the early actions and statements of the Biden administration
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
The Return of the Berlin Patient
The Kremlin will face a new Navalny, protected by a force field of Western public opinion.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How Many More Red Lines Is the Russian State Prepared to Cross?
A new cold war is being waged without rules.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
When Autocrats Reach Their Political Expiration Dates
Why civil societies in Russia and Belarus are uniting faster than the two countries themselves.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Putin’s Majority 3.0
Putin is using the upcoming public vote on changing the constitution to make ordinary people his accomplices in the process of extending his rule.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Putin’s Rating Is at a Record Low
The autocratic personalized model Russia operates in has worked out badly for Vladimir Putin during the pandemic.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
The Return of Stalinist Show Trials
The extreme sentences handed down to defendants in what is being called the “Network Case” is an ominous sign.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Planning for a (Not So) Post-Putin Russia
The president has made it clear that no one is going anywhere.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
The Life and Fate of Yury Luzhkov, the Embodiment of Moscow State Capitalism
Remembering the rise and fall of Moscow's legendary mayor.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How 10,000 Little Putins Rule Russia
The combination of aggressive conformism and petty indifference is the basis of the regime’s popular support.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
A Russian View on the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 Years On
We should never forget the benefits that Germany’s reunification brought to the world.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How the Moscow Protests Reveal a Schism in Russia’s Middle Class
A clash has been taking place between Moscow's two middle classes: one born of the market economy, and one for which the only social elevator is the state...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Why Government Economists Are Getting Nervous in Russia
The state has no intention of abandoning its strict control over the economy but has not been able to deliver results.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
How Igor Sechin Was Interrupted Midflight
Reuters was right to publish information showing that Rosneft head Igor Sechin repeatedly used corporate aircraft for personal purposes.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Civil Unrest in Yeltsin’s City
The confrontations between society and the authorities which are spreading across the country shouldn't be taken lightly.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Victory Day: Remembering the Fallen or Propaganda for Putin?
Military pomp is drowning out a meaningful reflection on the horrors of the war.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russians Find New Ways to Protest
The wave of landfill protests sweeping Russia is changing the country’s political map.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
A New Ukrainian President Won’t Salvage Russia-Ukraine Relations
The Russian authorities have never been inclined to consider Ukraine a truly separate state.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Elections in Ukraine and Slovakia Offer a Glimpse Into Russia’s Future
Will Russia equally fall for a political outsider? Only time will tell.
Five Years After Crimea, Russia Has Come Full Circle at Great Cost
Putin needs second Crimea to boost falling ratings.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
No, Communism Is Not Making a Comeback in Russia (Op-ed)
We shouldn't confuse left-leaning protest with an appetite for socialist revolution.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin Is Now Russia’s Marketer-in-Chief (Op-ed)
Ahead of Sunday’s elections, the multifunctional Sobyanin brand was promoted like the latest washing machine.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Saving Colonel Putin: Why Russia’s Pension Reform Just Got More Expensive (Op-ed)
Putin’s decision to soften pension reforms may have saved his ratings, but at what cost?
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Who Can Protest Russia's Pension Reforms the Loudest? (Op-ed)
Opposition forces are competing for the spotlight.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
For Putin, Sport Is a State Affair (Op-ed)
It is victory at any cost, because victory has political significance.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
The End of the Annexation (Op-ed)
The West now has no hope of haggling over Crimea
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Permanent Stagnation: Putin’s Invisible Fourth-Term Agenda
The powers that be are turning into a helpless and immoral authority.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Alexei Navalny’s Permanent Revolution (Op-ed)
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s recent tour of Russian cities was a success, as seen by the authorities’ reaction to it
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Moscow Housing Demolitions: From Rubble to Riot (Op-Ed)
In the “state capitalism” prevailing in modern Russia, the concept of property rights is blurred. But the “apartment—car—dacha” mantra remains...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Navalny Has Alleged the Russian Prime Minister Is Corrupt. Now What?
Russian officials believe their lifestyles are simply compensation for the gruelingly hard work of running the state
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Out With the Old, in With the New for Russia’s Political Elite
Putin won’t take all of the members of the old guard with him in 2018, as demonstrated by the recent removals of officials like Russian Railways boss...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Playing the Long Game: Why Putin Won't Call a Snap Presidential Election
Tensions over Crimea and a flurry of new appointments in the upper echelons of government have made many wonder if President Vladimir Putin is planning...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russia's War: Fridge vs. TV
Russian consumers are increasingly unhappy, but their discontent is being frozen in depression rather than manifested in social protest.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russia Chooses Bombers Over Pensioners
On Oct. 2, the Russian government announced its decision to raise pensions by 4 percent, effective Feb. 1, 2016.
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Putin's History Lessons Are Falling Flat
When Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Yalta at the beginning of his recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
By Ditching Novorossia, Moscow Admits Defeat
On May 20, the leaders of the Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics (LNR and DNR) announced the abandonment of the Novorossia project, a hypothetical...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Russia Sanctions Don't Work and Won't Work
The Western approach to Russia is predicated on the supposition that continued pressure on the country will cause President Vladimir Putin's regime...
opinion
Andrei Kolesnikov
Stalinism Is Back In Style
The 18th century naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc once said, "The style is the man himself." However, style also defines state authorities.