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opinion Tatyana Stanovaya

How the Duma Elections Could Decide United Russia’s Fate

The upcoming Duma elections could turn out to be United Russia’s farewell tour in its current lineup.

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...

Why the Duma Elections Still Matter

The current electoral process, however rigged and policed, will help the next generation to shape Russia.

Vote Rigging and the ‘Power Vertical’

Manipulating elections isn’t necessarily a centralized affair in Russia, but high-profile cases of malpractice are awkward for Moscow nonetheless.

Viewing 9/11 From Moscow

On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, it is important to remember that many Russians hold positive views of the U.S. even as they remain skeptical...

Interpreting the Biden Doctrine: The View From Moscow

It is the success or failure of remaking America, not Afghanistan, that will determine the Biden administration's legacy.

Michele A. Berdy

Drunk as a Skunk in Russia? Never!

Why you really must learn a new vocabulary of similes in Russian.

Paul Stronski for Carnegie

Forget Schadenfreude. What Does the Kremlin Really Think About Afghanistan?

The key question now is whether Moscow is equipped to deal with a combustible situation along its southern flank.

Michele A. Berdy

In Russian, Too Much is Better Than Too Little

Here are some serious and hilarious ways to take care and be on the very safe side in Russian.

Konstantin Skorkin

In the Donbass, Russia’s Newest Citizens Prepare to Vote

The Kremlin is interested in the people of the Donbass as additional reserves of loyal voters.

Andrei Soldatov

Russia’s Drive to Replace Foreign Technology Is Slowly Working

Using primitive methods, the Kremlin has made steady progress towards a goal that once seemed impossible — weaning Russians off foreign-made technology...

The Kremlin Is Coming for Media One By One — and Society Is Helpless to Stop It

By labelling the independent Dozhd broadcaster a 'foreign agent,' the Kremlin once again showed it doesn't play by the rules.

Alexander Baunov

Lessons for Russia From the U.S. Leadership Crisis

A retreat from Afghanistan doesn’t mean that the U.S. give up its positions so easily elsewhere.

Michele A. Berdy

When Your Heart Speaks in Russian

What's up with verbs like подсказать, подбросить, подслушать and подскочить?

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.

Kirill Krivosheev

Russia May Live to Regret Betting on the Taliban in Afghanistan

Nothing remotely resembling the “inclusive government” that the Taliban have promised is likely to appear, while drug trafficking and religious extremism...

How the Kremlin Is Using Covid-19 to Stifle Dissent

The Russian authorities only seem to care about the pandemic when it comes to jailing opposition activists.

I Am a 'Foreign Agent'

‘Like being at my own funeral’: Russian journalist Sonya Groysman describes life after being labeled a ‘foreign agent’

Sergey Radchenko

Afghanistan Has Never Been Moscow or Washington’s to Win or Lose

Getting in was a bad mistake. Getting out was the right thing to do.

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