Russia’s Administrators: The Weakest Link in a Crisis
The evolution of the Russian political system in the past 20 years was guided by several priorities that had a lasting impact on who we see as public officials at…
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Russia-Ukraine War
123 posts
Ukrainians and Russians Are Not One People—But Perhaps Not for the Reasons You Think
At the Valdai conference in October 2022, President Vladimir Putin once again claimed that “Ukrainians and Russians are one people.” This preposterous claim that he has repeated on numerous occasions…
Russian Protests Following the Invasion of Ukraine
Did the full-scale invasion of Ukraine upend protest mobilization in Russia? When and where did Russians take to the streets to express support and opposition to the war? And did…
Ukraine’s Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022
NEW BOOK | The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has its roots in the events of 2013–2014. Russia cynically termed the seditionist conflict in Crimea and Eastern Donbas a…
Russia’s Regional Governors: Backing the War, Upholding the Status Quo
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) Experts have been actively discussing the Russian domestic factors that could influence the course of the war. Considering the country’s territorial size and diversity, the stability of…
Russia’s Paramilitarization and its Consequences
For years, the Russian authorities have emphasized the military’s role in Russia’s nationbuilding and developed strong textual and visual narratives about its status as a cornerstone of the country’s historical…
Opinion | Why Do Russians Still Want to Fight?
From the perspective of a Russian soldier, the war in Ukraine must look nightmarish. In over a year of combat, nearly 200,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, according to American…
Exodus: Russian Repression and Social “Movement”
What does it mean when a social movement that opposes government policies or the regime itself must physically relocate to continue its advocacy? What happens when movement participants flee their…
The Ukrainian Resistance Movement in the Occupied Territories
Initial studies of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion focused either on non-violent protest activity or unconventional warfare. Such one-faceted studies allow for detailed subject analysis but prevent constructing a full picture of the…
Using Russian Prisoners to Fight in Ukraine: Legal or Illegal?
Since July of last year, about 40,000 inmates have joined the private Russian military company Wagner Group to fight on the front lines. The head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, explained…