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Articles by Andrei Kolesnikov

opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia’s Second, Silent War Against its Human Capital

Russia's failing fight against population decline is due to more than prevailing demographic trends.
5 Min read
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Scientific Putinism: Shaping Official Ideology in Russia

There is a belief that the Russian elite under President Vladimir Putin has only ever been interested in money. Yet Putin’s militant, anti-liberal...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Is It Possible to Plan for Life After Putin?

Discussions of how a post-Putin Russia might look have been on the rise for some time, even if such a concept remains wishful thinking for the time being...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia’s Prison Brand of Economic Self-Sufficiency

Prison labor may prove to be one of the mainstays of Russia's economic development.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The Unique Banality of Vladimir Putin

All dictators are alike, but none have the suicidal ideology of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

When Culture Reaches for a Gun

Hermitage Museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky has become just another Putin supporter.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

When Russian Artillery Shells its Own People

Putinism destroys not only the legitimacy of its own regime, but also the foundation of the nation's identity.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Russians Are Hostages to Putin

Russians woke up in a different country on Feb. 24, even if they don't yet understand the scale of the change.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

What Would a War With Ukraine Mean for Ordinary Russians?

Instead of mobilizing public opinion ahead of the 2024 presidential election, a war with Ukraine would have the opposite effect.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How Do Russians Feel About a War With Ukraine?

Militarization stopped being a way to mobilize Russians in support of the government in 2018.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russian Protest, From Pushkinskaya to Chistoprudny and Back Again

Russia’s new form of protest movement turns 10 this year and, like an underground fire, could ignite again at any time.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Not Navalny? Nobel Committee Honors Journalists Over Politicians

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to someone who personifies freedom of speech: something that is crucial to prevent Navalny from remaining in an...
opinion 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...
opinion 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.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Are the Protest Movements Dead in Russia and Belarus?

One year on, repressive measures have squelched the protest movements that arose in Khabarovsk and Belarus, but that smoldering resentment has simply gone...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Is Stalin’s Popularity On the Rise?

To people outside of Russia, it might seem deeply shocking and incomprehensible that Stalin’s popularity is growing at such a pace. Yet it is an entirely...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How One University Rector Forever Changed Russian Education

Kuzminov allowed maximal academic freedom, but it was this that tore apart his power and he was forced into compromises and obedience.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Grassroots Repression — Russian-style

First, the authorities persecuted activists. Then they went after journalists. And now, they’ve trained their sights on lawyers.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Fathers and Sons: A Kremlin-KGB Remake

By arresting family members of persecuted people, today's authorities declare themselves to be the direct successors of Stalin’s repressive system.

...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Navalny Makes Many Russians Uncomfortable

Navalny is pushing Russians out of their comfort zone. For now, public opinion is mainly that of a distrustful observer.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How Has Society Changed in the Wake of the Winter Protests?

The reasons for protest are accumulating, and there is colossal anger, despite underwhelming trust ratings for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Might Versus Right: Putin’s Bunker and the Protests Outside

Putin’s willingness to resort to police batons has polarized society and radicalized those who are dissatisfied with his rule.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How Biden Will Impact Russian Domestic Policy

What action the Russian authorities take largely depends on the early actions and statements of the Biden administration
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The Return of the Berlin Patient

The Kremlin will face a new Navalny, protected by a force field of Western public opinion.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How Many More Red Lines Is the Russian State Prepared to Cross?

A new cold war is being waged without rules.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

When Autocrats Reach Their Political Expiration Dates

Why civil societies in Russia and Belarus are uniting faster than the two countries themselves.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Putin’s Majority 3.0

Putin is using the upcoming public vote on changing the constitution to make ordinary people his accomplices in the process of extending his rule.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Putin’s Rating Is at a Record Low

The autocratic personalized model Russia operates in has worked out badly for Vladimir Putin during the pandemic.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The Return of Stalinist Show Trials

The extreme sentences handed down to defendants in what is being called the “Network Case” is an ominous sign.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Planning for a (Not So) Post-Putin Russia

The president has made it clear that no one is going anywhere.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The Life and Fate of Yury Luzhkov, the Embodiment of Moscow State Capitalism

Remembering the rise and fall of Moscow's legendary mayor.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How 10,000 Little Putins Rule Russia

The combination of aggressive conformism and petty indifference is the basis of the regime’s popular support.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

A Russian View on the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 Years On

We should never forget the benefits that Germany’s reunification brought to the world.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How the Moscow Protests Reveal a Schism in Russia’s Middle Class

A clash has been taking place between Moscow's two middle classes: one born of the market economy, and one for which the only social elevator is the state...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Why Government Economists Are Getting Nervous in Russia

The state has no intention of abandoning its strict control over the economy but has not been able to deliver results.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

How Igor Sechin Was Interrupted Midflight

Reuters was right to publish information showing that Rosneft head Igor Sechin repeatedly used corporate aircraft for personal purposes.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Civil Unrest in Yeltsin’s City

The confrontations between society and the authorities which are spreading across the country shouldn't be taken lightly.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Victory Day: Remembering the Fallen or Propaganda for Putin?

Military pomp is drowning out a meaningful reflection on the horrors of the war.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russians Find New Ways to Protest

The wave of landfill protests sweeping Russia is changing the country’s political map.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

A New Ukrainian President Won’t Salvage Russia-Ukraine Relations

The Russian authorities have never been inclined to consider Ukraine a truly separate state.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Elections in Ukraine and Slovakia Offer a Glimpse Into Russia’s Future

Will Russia equally fall for a political outsider? Only time will tell.

Five Years After Crimea, Russia Has Come Full Circle at Great Cost

Putin needs second Crimea to boost falling ratings.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

No, Communism Is Not Making a Comeback in Russia (Op-ed)

We shouldn't confuse left-leaning protest with an appetite for socialist revolution.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin Is Now Russia’s Marketer-in-Chief (Op-ed)

Ahead of Sunday’s elections, the multifunctional Sobyanin brand was promoted like the latest washing machine.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Saving Colonel Putin: Why Russia’s Pension Reform Just Got More Expensive (Op-ed)

Putin’s decision to soften pension reforms may have saved his ratings, but at what cost?
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Who Can Protest Russia's Pension Reforms the Loudest? (Op-ed)

Opposition forces are competing for the spotlight.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

For Putin, Sport Is a State Affair (Op-ed)

It is victory at any cost, because victory has political significance.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

The End of the Annexation (Op-ed)

The West now has no hope of haggling over Crimea
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Permanent Stagnation: Putin’s Invisible Fourth-Term Agenda

The powers that be are turning into a helpless and immoral authority.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Alexei Navalny’s Permanent Revolution (Op-ed)

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s recent tour of Russian cities was a success, as seen by the authorities’ reaction to it
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Moscow Housing Demolitions: From Rubble to Riot (Op-Ed)

In the “state capitalism” prevailing in modern Russia, the concept of property rights is blurred. But the “apartment—car—dacha” mantra remains...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Navalny Has Alleged the Russian Prime Minister Is Corrupt. Now What?

Russian officials believe their lifestyles are simply compensation for the gruelingly hard work of running the state
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Out With the Old, in With the New for Russia’s Political Elite

Putin won’t take all of the members of the old guard with him in 2018, as demonstrated by the recent removals of officials like Russian Railways boss...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Playing the Long Game: Why Putin Won't Call a Snap Presidential Election

Tensions over Crimea and a flurry of new appointments in the upper echelons of government have made many wonder if President Vladimir Putin is planning...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia's War: Fridge vs. TV

Russian consumers are increasingly unhappy, but their discontent is being frozen in depression rather than manifested in social protest.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia Chooses Bombers Over Pensioners

On Oct. 2, the Russian government announced its decision to raise pensions by 4 percent, effective Feb. 1, 2016.
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Putin's History Lessons Are Falling Flat

When Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Yalta at the beginning of his recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

By Ditching Novorossia, Moscow Admits Defeat

On May 20, the leaders of the Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics (LNR and DNR) announced the abandonment of the Novorossia project, a hypothetical...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia Sanctions Don't Work and Won't Work

The Western approach to Russia is predicated on the supposition that continued pressure on the country will cause President Vladimir Putin's regime...
opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Stalinism Is Back In Style

The 18th century naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc once said, "The style is the man himself." However, style also defines state authorities.