Russia Matters

William Burns says China is the major geopolitical test for the U.S. and a “declining” Russia remains “a familiar threat”; Putin instructed the FSB to prioritize the Western threat against Russia’s development, AFP reports; and more in our weekly new...

Despite a tumultuous year, more Russians continue to view both Putin and their country's direction positively than negatively so far this year, according to the Levada Center’s latest batch of polling results.

Empirically tracking sanctions’ exact impact shows that the pecuniary cost of sanctions to Russia has been larger than previously estimated, but these sanctions have had an effect on domestic politics that is not necessarily favorable to U.S. interests.