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opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Giant Saber-Toothed Grasshopper and Other Endangered Species

Watch День Радио, learn Russian, and laugh your head off. Win-win-win.

Artyom Shraibman

Can Moscow Manage a Power Transition in Belarus?

Lukashenko's loss of legitimacy has become problematic for the Kremlin — but can it manage Minsk's leadership change?

Maxim Kashulinsky

Navalny and the Limits of Putin's Ad Hoc Rule

Putin has mastered the art of special ops. In the case of Navalny, however, the banal decency of ordinary Russian citizens ruined the plan.

Justice Is Needed for Belarus. International Scrutiny Is the Way to Get it.

I have seen women and men tortured, humiliated and degraded by the Lukashenko regime.

The Meaning of Victory in Russia’s Sept. 13 Elections

The Kremlin will face increasing complexity and costs as it looks to engineer future election victories.

Michele A. Berdy

Muttering and Grousing the Russian Way

Russians didn't invent griping, but they have terrific words to describe it.

Alexander Baunov

Where Navalny’s Poisoning Is Taking Russia, at Home and Abroad

Far from a purely internal or external affair, Alexei Navalny’s poisoning has shaken Russia’s domestic politics as well as its foreign relations.

Why the Kremlin Fears Navalny

The fewer the people who support the government, the safer the opposition will be.

In Belarus, China Is Neither at Odds With Russia nor Wedded to Lukashenko

Courted by Alexander Lukashenko since the 2000s, China has gradually expanded its presence, economic and otherwise, in Belarus.

Maybe the Kremlin Doesn’t Know Who Poisoned Navalny. It’s Still Responsible.

The Kremlin sits back and allows its freelancers to spread fear that it uses to increase perception of the power it wields.

Michele A. Berdy

Autumn Leaves Are Not Yet Falling

Take a deep dive into months, calendars, years and other joys of Russian autumn.

Tatyana Stanovaya

Navalny Has Been Poisoned. Where Are the People on the Streets?

Navalny’s poisoning might have a bigger effect on the elite than on general society.

Andrei Kolesnikov

How Many More Red Lines Is the Russian State Prepared to Cross?

A new cold war is being waged without rules.

Nigel Gould-Davies

Putin and the Belarusian Question

Putin will seek to do as much as possible, but as little as necessary, to suppress peaceful change in Belarus.

Alexander Baunov

Domestic Geopolitics: Belarusian Protests and Russia’s Power Transition

Any internal political activity is becoming conclusively geopoliticized.

Marianna Belenkaya

In Libya’s War, Russia Is Directionless — and Falling Behind

Russia can only achieve so much without a clear idea of what its interests in Libya are.

James D.J. Brown

The Coming Chill: Russia-Japan Relations After Abe

The resignation of Japan’s prime minister Abe Shinzo on 28 August marks the departure of a leading proponent of closer relations with Russia.

Michele A. Berdy

Deciphering Russia's August Holidays

Why do Russians panic in August? What did they do 150 years ago? Hint: involves churches and food.

Putin’s Undying Support for Autocracy

Polls show that the average Russian is also unwilling to let go of Alexander Lukashenko.

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