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Opinion

Daniela Richterova

‘You Attacked the Home of a Very High-Ranking Individual’: What the Starmer Fires Reveal About Russia’s International Sabotage Campaign

The trial of two Ukrainian-born men recruited for "gig economy sabotage" gave valuable insights into how Russian handlers are refining their tactics.
Dmitry Nekrasov

Russia’s Fuel Shortages Are Manageable. But the Kremlin’s Options Are Shrinking.

Ukrainian drone strikes haven't caused a nationwide fuel crisis yet. But pressure on supply is accumulating rapidly.
5 Min read
Casey Michel

Roman Abramovich Can Talk to Moscow and Kyiv. But He Can’t Change Putin’s Mind.

The sanctioned billionaire is an unlikely backchannel between Russia and Ukraine, having brokered prisoner swaps and grain export deals.
5 Min read
An Anonymous Writer in Russia

A Decades-Old Split in Russian Islam Risks Resurrecting Soviet-Style Religious Control

The wartime crackdown on clerics linked to Ravil Gainutdin suggests that even loyal religious autonomy is becoming intolerable.
6 Min read
Andrey Sapozhnikov

When Russia Puts On a Show, Some in the West Buy It

Organizers at the 2026 "Russian Davos" pulled out all the stops to convince visitors it's business as usual in Russia. In some cases, it worked.
5 Min read
Nicholas Castillo

Some Georgians Think Russia Just Annexed Part of Their Country

A new law allowing Russian officials to hold office in South Ossetia is sparking fears that Moscow is expanding control over the region.
5 Min read
Tatyana Rybakova

SPIEF 2026 Was A Tragicomic Encapsulation of Russia's Economic Quagmire

You couldn't ignore the thick black smoke that hung over proceedings — though people tried — rather like Russia's weakened economy.
7 Min read
Sergei Shelin

How a Few Thousand Votes Could Have Stopped Putin’s Rise to Power

Putin may have stayed in St. Petersburg if the 1996 electoral defeat of his political mentor hadn't propelled him to pursue a career in Moscow.
5 Min read
Fr. Andrey Mizyuk

Why Is the Russian Orthodox Church Encouraging People To Volunteer in Occupied Ukraine?

Disguising contract military service as volunteering or paid work opportunities is not unheard of.
4 Min read
James Brown

Japan Must Stop Its Embarrassing Embrace of Kremlin Cultural Projects

Tokyo may have condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but it remains naive about the political ramifications of the Festival of Russian Culture in Japan.
5 Min read
Maximilian Hess

Putin Dishes Out Economic Warfare – But Can't Take It

Ahead of Armenia's crucial election this weekend, Russia has banned a growing list of imports on spurious grounds. It's a familiar playbook.
5 Min read
Arkady Moshes and Ryhor Nizhnikau

Normalizing Relations With Belarus Would Be a Mistake

Some exiled critics of the Belarusian government have started to suggest that the West could use Lukashenko to change the system. They're wrong.
4 Min read
Dan Storyev

Reports of Russia's Collapse Are Greatly Exaggerated

A cottage industry of articles and even books predicting Russia's collapse has sprung from a lack of imagination and expertise.
6 Min read
Alexandra Borissova Saleh

The Kremlin Fears Academics Because They're Antithetical to Autocracy

Science cannot uncover the truth when constrained by ideology. It's a problem afflicting academics in Russia, but also the United States.
4 Min read
An Anonymous Writer in Russia

As the World Speculates, Here's What Russians Are Actually Talking About

While headlines fixate on Putin's popularity and support for the war, many Russians spend more time talking about travel and online shopping.
5 Min read
Erica Marat

Central Asia Is Done With Letting Moscow Write Its History

Russia likes to believe that its colonization of Central Asia civilized and modernized the region. But local scholars no longer accept that narrative.
5 Min read
Ramazan Alpaut

To Be Truly Democratic, Russia’s Opposition Must Learn to Accept Scrutiny

Journalists should not serve political movements. But Russia's opposition treats unflattering reporting as tantamount to Kremlin propaganda.
4 Min read
Tatyana Rybakova

Playing by the Rules Won't Protect Russian Business Owners From the Kremlin's Shakedown

With tax hikes having failed to make up for Russia's budget deficit, the authorities are targeting small businesses that are acting legitimately.
5 Min read
Nicholas Castillo

Russia Wants Armenia Back in the Fold. It May Be Too Late.

With Armenia going to the polls soon, the country's pro-Russian opposition is divided and behind the times as Yerevan courts the West.
5 Min read
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