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Joshua R. Kroeker

Rising Ethnic Tensions Won’t Tear Russia Apart

Centuries of internal colonization and Kremlin-stoked ethnonationalism make it unlikely Russia will break apart along ethnic lines.

Why Russia’s Eastward Trade Refocus Faces Roadblocks

By cutting through Central Asia Russia may avoid Western sanctions, but is more exposed to competition with China and India.

Oleksandr Polianichev

Russia’s ‘African Villages’ Are White Supremacy in Disguise

Shunned by the West, Russia is trying to forge new alliances in Africa. But a plan to resettle Africans in rural Russia has less diplomatic motivations...

Belarus’ New Passport Law Risks Upending the Lives of Exiled Activists

Lukashenko is exhausting his last means of leverage over critics by turning them into non-persons abroad. The free world must hold him accountable.

Alexandra Prokopenko

Putin Is Betting On a New Class of Asset Owners to Shore Up His Regime

Having apparently lost faith in the old elites, Putin is forming a new class of proprietors in Russia who will be indebted to him and his regime.

Russia is Preparing the Next Generation to Die for Their Country

It’s hard to escape the impression that the clubs Russian children have to join are doing anything other than teaching them to kill or be killed.

Mikhail Turchenko

Nagorno-Karabakh Shows Russia Has No Credibility as a Regional Peacekeeper

CSTO members are obligated to come to each other's defense. But time and time again, Russia hasn’t aided countries it swore to protect.

Aleksandr Smirnov

How to Make the Exiled Russian Opposition a Force for Change

Putting aside its differences to represent its people’s interests could be the first step towards building a fairer Russia when Putin falls.

Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

War Is Returning to Nagorno-Karabakh Because the World Did Nothing to Stop It

Despite the world averting its eyes from the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan after November 2020, the war has never truly ended.

The Cult of the Red Terror Executioner Lives On

In a country headed by a former KGB agent, it is unsurprising that a sanitized image of the founder of the brutal Soviet Secret Police is thriving.

The West Shouldn’t Underestimate Russia’s Resilience

Putin may still be in power in a decade. The West must prepare to defend itself and Ukraine against a belligerent Russia for many more years.

Anthony V. Rinna

Russia Courting North Korea Shows Contempt for International Law

Both countries have been shunned by much of the world. Cooperating on industrial and military efforts shows they don’t care about a backlash.

Russia’s Regional Elections Have Taught the Kremlin a Valuable Lesson

While United Russia's candidates won comfortably in nearly every race, the Kremlin has learned it needs more than patriotic rhetoric to win votes.

How Much Longer Can Russia’s Honeymoon with the Gulf States Last?

Russia is reliant on the Gulf Cooperation Council to keep its economy afloat. However, the block is realizing that the costs far outweigh the benefits...

'This Case Was a Fake from Start to Finish': Dagestani Journalist's Final Word in Russian Court

Abdulmumin Gadzhiev was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison on charges of participating in and financing a terrorist organization which he denies.

Alexei Levinson

Who Is the World's 'Great Power'? According to Russians, It's Themselves

Russia and its people searching for another ‘great power’ to determine its place in the world. But with no country measuring up, it's lonely at the...

Pavel Sulyandziga and Dmitry Berezhkov

What Decolonization Means for Russia’s Indigenous Peoples

Russian society’s perception of its colonial history is whitewashed. Acknowledging its legacy could create a new state built on truth.

Elon Musk Has Ukraine, and the Future of the World, at His Mercy

Musk’s power lies in the interaction between Western capitalism and national security, and the West’s hesitant response to the war.

Andras Toth-Czifra

Regional Elections Could Expose Cracks in the Kremlin’s Stability Narrative

Despite the war, authorities haven’t cancelled this year’s regional elections. But they might not be the show of force the Kremlin hoped.

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