Analysis

This listing contains all the analytical materials posted on the Russia Matters website. These include: RM Exclusives, commissioned by Russia Matters exclusively for this website; Recommended Reads, deemed particularly noteworthy by our editorial team; Partner Posts, originally published by our partners elsewhere; and Future Policy Leaders, pieces by promising young scholars and policy thinkers. Content can be filtered by genre and subject-specific criteria and is updated often. Gradually we will be adding older Recommended Reads and Partner Posts dating back as far as 2011.
book review

Stephen Kotkin on Ukraine, Russia, China and the World

Kate Davidson June 06, 2024 RM Exclusives
Stephen Kotkin, a renowned historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, surveys what happened, where we stand now and what the United States should do next in his contribution to a collection of essays covering the Russia-Ukraine war.
survey

Expert Survey: What to Expect From Putin’s Fifth Term?

RM Staff May 10, 2024 RM Exclusives
We asked several of America’s leading Russia experts to comment on what to expect from Russia’s relations with the West, China and post-Soviet Eurasia during Vladimir Putin’s new term, and how long his rule may last.
survey

Expert Survey: Does Russia’s Presidential Election Matter to US and Its Allies?

RM Staff March 15, 2024 RM Exclusives
Some Western Russia experts agree that despite Putin's inevitable victory, the election can still offer clues about the challenges the Kremlin faces, as well as the extent of anti-war sentiment among Russians.
issue brief

Ukraine’s Insurgency, Purposefully Limited in Aims and Size, Pokes Holes in Russian Occupation

Jean-François Ratelle November 03, 2022 RM Exclusives
Its main focus has been targeting pro-Russian collaborators and disrupting Russian military logistics, not engaging in head-on confrontations with Moscow’s forces.
book review

A New Putin Biography: Rich Stories of Early Life, and Some Needless America Bashing

Paul Saunders October 26, 2022 RM Exclusives
Despite some shortcomings, Philip Short’s new biography “Putin” is valuable to anyone eager to learn more about Russia’s leader.
issue brief

Why There Won’t Be a People’s Republic of Left-Bank Ukraine Just Yet

Simon Saradzhyan November 23, 2021 RM Exclusives
Putin may have lost patience with Zelenskiy, but he is unlikely to give marching orders to Russian troops until he exhausts options with Biden.
survey

Expert Survey: Will the Outcome of Russia’s Elections Impact Its Foreign Policy?

RM Staff September 24, 2021 RM Exclusives
We’ve asked four experts to give their takes on the key outcome of the elections and their impact on Russia’s foreign policy, particularly toward the U.S. and the West.
book review

Review of Marlene Laruelle's 'Is Russia Fascist? Unraveling Propaganda East and West'

Arthur Martirosyan August 19, 2021 RM Exclusives
Laruelle convincingly depicts the perils of the poisonous potential of the memory wars and frivolous accusations in fascism to eliminate prospects for a negotiated modus vivendi on the European continent and driving the game to a set of zero-sum encounters depriving the sides from the meaningful engagement on many issues presenting common interests.
book review

Plokhy’s New Cuban Missile Crisis Book Offers Glimpse Into the Minds of Rank-and-File Soviet Officers

Simon Saradzhyan June 25, 2021 RM Exclusives
Harvard Professor Serhii Plokhy’s new book, “Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis,” offers new insights into the experiences of lower-level officers who participated in the perilous events that brought us to the brink of nuclear war nearly 60 years ago.
survey

Survey: Experts Weigh In With Expectations for Biden-Putin Summit

RM Staff June 15, 2021 RM Exclusives
Thomas Graham, Nikolas Gvosdev, Paul Kolbe, Olga Oliker and Angela Stent share their thoughts on stabilizing the U.S.-Russian relationship, low-hanging fruit, concrete steps and what can go wrong.
book review

Stoner’s Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Russia’s New Strength

Paul Saunders May 05, 2021 RM Exclusives
Kathryn E. Stoner's effort to measure Russia’s power comprises the bulk of her new book and provides a generally helpful overview of the country’s capabilities despite some limitations.
book review

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

Lynn Berry June 17, 2020 RM Exclusives
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.
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