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.
interview

Fiona Hill on Putin, Ukraine, Global Challenges

Angelina Flood May 01, 2024 RM Exclusives
In this exclusive interview with Russia Matters, Hill paints a picture of a world in flux, in part due to Russia’s revisionist actions.
interview

CIA Director Burns on Ukraine: ‘We’re Running Out of Time to Help Them’

George W. Bush Presidential Center April 25, 2024 Recommended Reads
William Burns sat down with David Kramer at the George W. Bush Presidential Center Forum on Leadership to discuss Russia, the Middle East, U.S. competition with China and the role of emerging technologies in the world of intelligence.
interview

Mearsheimer on Where the Ukraine War Is Headed

RM Staff March 14, 2024 RM Exclusives
On a recent episode of the “Daniel Davis Deep Dive” podcast, John Mearsheimer has claimed that he considers “ridiculous” the idea that Ukraine will be able to take the offensive in 2024 or 2025.
Clues from Russian Views

The World According to Dyumin—Putin’s Former Bodyguard and His Potential Successor

Olga Kiyan February 29, 2024 RM Exclusives
Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's former bodyguard and governor of the Tula oblast—which Dyumin has called Russia's "weapons capital"—will likely be one of the top contenders to succeed Putin thanks to his proximity to the Russian leader and his versatile experience.
article

A Country Living in Three Eras: Reflections on the 75th anniversary of the DPRK

Alexander Solovyov September 22, 2023 Recommended Reads
Solovyov considers the Cold War, hegemony and the "grand narratives" underpinning Moscow-Pyongyang ties.
policy brief

Advancing in Adversity: Ukraine’s Battlefield Technologies and Lessons for the U.S.

Grace Jones, Janet Egan and Eric Rosenbach July 31, 2023 Partner Posts
Ukraine’s use of modified commercial aerial and naval drones, new satellite and artificial intelligence capabilities and social media has given Ukraine an edge which has implications for current and future conflicts.
Clues from Russian Views

Russia's Prime Minister Mishustin: A Quiet Technocrat Who Toes the Line and Gets Results

Yana Demeshko, Natasha Yefimova-Trilling and Ingrid Burke Friedman May 11, 2023 RM Exclusives
Though he’s no warmonger, Mishustin has stayed in his post and not challenged the Kremlin’s messaging on the war in Ukraine.
Clues from Russian Views

Devoted to Putin: Volodin's Views on Russia, the West and the Rest

RM Staff January 27, 2023 RM Exclusives
Despite his mastery of reductionist flattery and "unlimited devotion" to Putin, the speaker of the State Duma likely isn't a member of the Russian president's inner-most circle. Still, he may have a shot at the Kremlin when Putin steps down.
Clues from Russian Views

The Importance of Being Russian: Can Belarus Survive the Kremlin’s War Against Ukraine?

Maxim Samorukov November 03, 2022 Recommended Reads
The war has left Belarus in a predicament, which boils down to depending on Russia for everything without enjoying the advantages of being part of Russia.
policy brief

How Have Sanctions Impacted Russia?

Maria Demertzis, Benjamin Hilgenstock, Ben McWilliams, Elina Ribakova and Simone Tagliapietra October 26, 2022 Recommended Reads
This paper assesses both the immediate economic impact and the likely longer-term impact of sanctions on the Russian economy.
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.