News

US Intercepts Data Showing Money Transfers Between GRU Unit, Taliban Accounts; Early Results: Nearly 75% of Russians Voted for Constitutional Changes

July 01, 2020
U.S. intelligence officials concluded that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan; preliminary results show high support for the amendments; and more in our weekly news round-up.
Analysis

Unplugging the Baltic States: Why Russia’s Economic Approach May Be Shifting

Emily Ferris July 01, 2020 RM Exclusives
The probability of Russia resorting to a Crimea-style intervention in the Baltics remains low. As a key energy supplier and major trading partner for the region, Russia has more to gain by using economic levers as opposed to military ones to retain influence.
Blog

Russians’ Approval and Trust for Putin Shows Slight Rebound, Although Still Below Previous Years

RM Staff July 01, 2020
Russians’ trust and approval for Vladimir Putin has slightly increased from low points in May and April, although it is still significantly lower than in previous years, according to a new Levada Center poll.
News
US Intercepts Data Showing Money Transfers Between GRU Unit, Taliban Accounts; Early Results: Nearly 75% of Russians Voted for Constitutional Changes
July 01, 2020
Analysis
Unplugging the Baltic States: Why Russia’s Economic Approach May Be Shifting
July 01, 2020
Blog
Russians’ Approval and Trust for Putin Shows Slight Rebound, Although Still Below Previous Years
July 01, 2020
RM Staff Picks
Analysis

Russia’s Constitutional Amendments Keep Several Futures Open for Putin

Marlene Laruelle
The aim of the amendments is to keep Putin’s—and Russia's—portfolio of possibilities as wide as possible while reinforcing Russia’s sovereignty from the international scene and the country’s self-reliance.
Read More
Analysis

Belton: Russia’s Kleptocracy Is a Tool for Undermining the West

Lynn Berry
Through interviews with key figures, Belton sheds new light on Putin and argues that the kleptocracy of the Putin era was about far more than just lining pockets: It was about buying influence and threatening the West.
Read More
Analysis

Who ‘Defeated’ ISIS? An Analysis of US and Russian Contributions

Domitilla Sagramoso
There can be little doubt that the U.S. and its allies played a much bigger role in subduing the terror group than Russia. But ISIS has plenty of life in it yet and any alleged victory is fragile.
Read More
Analysis

Stent and Hill on COVID-19 Challenging Putin’s Grip on Power

VOA
Russia experts Angela Stent and Fiona Hill discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the Russian leader as well as on the country's domestic and international positions.
Read More
Analysis

The State Department’s Compliance Report Plays the Blame Game, Despite Offering Little Evidence

Matt Korda and Hans M. Kristensen
The report’s publication comes at a critical time, as the Trump administration has spent the past few years—and the past three months in particular—dismantling the last vestiges of U.S. commitments to the international arms control regime.
Read More
Blog

Coronavirus and the Kremlin: Will Putin’s Ratings Keep Falling Through Fall?

Daniel Shapiro
The COVID-19 pandemic has already pushed Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings to historically low levels, and it may be that the ratings of the Russian leader, his government and his party are not done falling just yet.
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Analysis

New Document Consolidates Russia’s Nuclear Policy in One Place

Olga Oliker
Russia’s new nuclear deterrence strategy document confirms that its policy is not “escalate to de-escalate,” but the document isn't likely to put the debate to rest.
Read More
Blog

Experts: US Dual Containment of Russia, China Is Flawed, But Will Continue

RM Staff
Both American and Russian participants at a recent Center for the National Interest event expect the policy to continue, even though all believe it is flawed, and some believe it is unsustainable.
Read More
Analysis

The Risks of Autonomous Weapons Systems for Crisis Stability and Conflict Escalation in Future US-Russia Confrontations

Burgess Laird
Autonomous weapons systems could foster crisis instability, conflict escalation in contests between the U.S. and Russia in multiple ways. Policymakers must consider if the putative advantages of such systems are worth the potential risks they may rai...
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Analysis

Khodorkovsky Marks the Spot: Russia’s Turning Point From Economic Freedom to State Control

Sergei Guriev
Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s sentencing 15 years ago this month signaled the end of Russia's market reforms and the beginning of ever-increasing state control.
Read More
Nota Bene

Tracking COVID-19 in Russia and the U.S.

Daily tallies of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. and Russia.
Click here for our interactive infographics.
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