The Expanding Russian Cossack Movement: A Social Base for Putinism
On November 27, 2018, the leaders of the 11 Cossack hosts convened in a hall in Moscow and agreed to establish an “All-Russian Cossack Organization” into which they would be…
Is Putin’s Popularity (Still) Real? A Cautionary Note on Using List Experiments to Measure Popularity in Authoritarian Regimes
Questions about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s popularity are inextricable from discussions about Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Russian government has expended great effort selling the war to the Russian population,…
Russia’s Right-Wing Reactions to the War
Russia’s right-wing realm consists of two segments: the mainstream right and the far right. The first is a faction of the ruling elite, while the second leads a largely oppositional…
Time to Question Russia’s Imperial Innocence
President Vladimir Putin has successfully mobilized a sense of militant patriotism in the Russian public to wage war in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s propaganda builds on seeing Russia as both victimized…
Witnessing Ukraine, Watersheds in the Balkans
Common threats unify. Unfortunately, the war on Ukraine had to happen to make clear what already should have been. As French President Emmanuel Macron explained, NATO went from being braindead…
Similarities Stain the Kremlin’s Warfare on Chechens and Ukrainians
The Russian war in Ukraine continues with daily news reports from besieged cities documenting humanitarian disasters, growing civilian casualties, and fleeing refugees. Many commentators have compared this war in Ukraine…
Rebuilding Ukraine: Pre-War Trends and Post-War Priorities Should Inform the Process
A massive national reconstruction effort for Ukraine, guided by that country’s government and popular will, must be launched even before Russian aggression is defeated. At this writing, with large-scale hostilities…
Who’s to Blame? Sanctions, Economic Hardship, and Putin’s Fear of Color Revolutions
The sanctions now imposed on Russia—as severe as they are—are unlikely by themselves to lead to widespread protests demanding political change. Although at the time of writing, the exact cumulative…
The Destruction of Academic Freedom and Social Science in Russia
How to Mitigate the Damage to Scholarship and International Security The Russian government’s recent domestic repressions and the sudden isolation of Russian scholars from international collaborators will likely destroy Russian…
Russia’s Muslim Leaders on the Invasion of Ukraine: United in a Display of Loyalty, Divided in Competition for Power
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has deepened the existing cracks within Russia’s biggest religious institution, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The Moscow Patriarchate is about to lose its…
Manufacturing Support for War: Russia’s Preppers, Fellow Travelers, and Activist Networks
The impact on Russia of its war against Ukraine is heavier than President Vladimir Putin anticipated, both in terms of military losses and economic isolation. The survival of the regime…
Putin’s Occupation Options for Ukraine: Keep or Trade?
In his speech declaring the launch of the so-called “limited military operation,” President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia had no plans to occupy Ukraine: “We are not planning to impose…