Section: Institute of Modern Russia (USA)
The Ebbing of the Patriotic Wave
President Vladimir Putin has seen his approval rating reach a record-high of 89 percent in recent months, riding a wave of so-called “patriotic mobilization” triggered by Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. But are Russians truly enthusiastic about Putin’s policies, or are they merely passive supporters? Donald Jensen, resident...
Vitaly Portnikov: ‘Ukraine Will Have Friendly and Honest Relations with a Russia That Seeks European Integration’
The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of interviews with experts on the situation in Russia, its relations with the West, and the future of the country’s political system. On the eve of the anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Donetsk, journalist Leonid Martynyuk spoke with Ukrainian writer Vitaly...
Is Russia Planning a Summer Offensive in Ukraine?
The conflict in eastern Ukraine has been simmering for months, but speculation has risen that the Kremlin could order a major attack on Ukrainian positions in the coming weeks. Independent journalist Luke Johnson interprets the mixed signals coming from Moscow and the separatist “people’s republics,” finding that there may be strategic...
Will Anyone Come to Russia’s 2018 World Cup?
Just as the International Federation of Association Football, better known as FIFA, is being hit by an enormous corruption scandal, Russian football is facing its own turmoil as well. Struggling with its own corruption issues, the economic recession, and construction delays in preparations for the 2018 World Cup, Moscow is having a hard time...
Reports on Russia’s War in Ukraine Are Presented in Washington D.C.
On May 28, the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. hosted a presentation of two reports on the war in Ukraine. The first report, Putin: War, draws on materials collected by the late Boris Nemtsov and his allies and was presented in English for the first time. The other report, Putin’s War in Ukraine: Hiding in Plain Sight, was prepared by...
Is the U.S. Softening its Approach toward Russia?
The visit of two high-level U.S. officials to Russia in mid-May suggests that Washington has decided to play a more active role in settling the Ukraine crisis and that relations between the U.S. and Russia, strained since the fighting began, may be improving slightly. Donald Jensen, resident fellow of the Center for Transatlantic Relations,...
Is Radical Nationalism in Russia Getting Out of Control?
Radical nationalism has long been one of the leading threats to Russia’s national security. However, in recent years, and especially during the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin has tried to co-opt the nationalists to use them to mobilize the population. At the moment, according to Donald Jensen, resident fellow at the Center for Transatlantic...
Putin’s Patriotism Campaign: A Dangerous Bunch of Hot Air
The 70th anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II has been increasingly viewed in Russia as an unprecedented event of historic and national scale. This view has been shaped by the sharp rise of patriotic sentiment caused by the Kremlin’s adventures in Ukraine and hysterical propaganda in the state media. According to...
Risks of Delayed Lustrations
Ukraine’s lustration process has given rise to much unfavorable criticism and triggered heated discussion. IMR advisor Ekaterina Mishina analyzes the experience of lustration, or the purging of government officials previously associated with the Communist Party, in the post-Soviet space and points out its risks in Ukraine. …read more...
Dmitry Oreshkin: “In the light of Nemtsov’s murder, Putin looks like a weak and dependent politician”
The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of interviews with Russian and Western experts on the situation in Russia, its relationship with the West, and the future of its political system. Journalist Leonid Martynyuk speaks with prominent Russian political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin about the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, Putin’s...
