Olga Vlasova
Olga Vlasova delves into Moscow's recent unconventional mayoral elections. She finds the campaigns were completely lacking in public debate, and that the result was a foregone conclusion. A stark departure from tradition, these elections could have set the tone for next year's presidential race Read more
Benjamin J. Radford
In the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Benjamin J. Radford, Yaoyao Dai, Niklas Stoehr, Aaron Schein, Mya Fernandez, and Hanif Sajid have developed a model to better estimate the loss numbers obscured by the fog of war and the biases of somereporting sources Read more
Alexandr Burilkov
The recent mutiny of the Wagner PMC, orchestrated by Yevgeny Prigozhin, was the most serious instance of Russian internal conflict since the beginning of the Ukraine war. Alexandr Burilkov assesses whether its swift resolution reveals a regime that has survived the test unchanged, or whether it has been further weakened Read more
Lena Surzhko-Harned
The Kosovo war helped consolidate the Responsibility to Protect norm. But Lena Surzhko-Harned and Jiřà Nykodým argue that it also created the 'Kosovo precedent' used to undermine international law. Russia has often exploited this narrative to justify its current war in Ukraine Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
Albrecht Rothacher argues that an end to hostilities in Ukraine in the context of a Peace Plan is not unforeseeable. It is in the interest of all sides. He identifies the steps that need to be taken and the people likely to be involved Read more
Alexandr Burilkov
Faced with the successful Ukrainian counteroffensive, and with military costs mounting, the Russian elite has splintered into bickering factions. Alexandr Burilkov argues that the nationalist information space is exerting significant pressure on Putin to continue and escalate the war. This makes negotiations and a lasting ceasefire unlikely Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
President Putin has been clear in his intentions to use all force necessary, including nuclear weapons, to achieve his goals. This, argues Albrecht Rothacher, is a bluff, but its very use has hugely damaging consequences for international relations Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
Albrecht Rothacher assesses the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy. He argues that, in the short-term, sanctions will have little impact – except on the peoples of Europe whose governments are imposing them. Yet, the long-term implications for the Russian economy could be more far-reaching, if not devastating Read more
