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.
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Why Hasn’t Russia Unleashed ‘Cybergeddon’ in Its War on Ukraine?

RM Staff May 04, 2022 RM Exclusives
Some experts say expectations of cyber apocalypse have been overblown, while others argue Russia has already done plenty of cyber damage. Check out our compilation for what Russia’s use (and non-use) of cyber means in the war on Ukraine.
Clues from Russian Views

Tested by Ukraine. Third Attempt

Konstantin Zatulin May 01, 2022
"After February 24 ... we have no other choice other than to win," says the Russian lawmaker.
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The Impact of the War in Ukraine on Global Trade and Investment

World Bank May 01, 2022 Recommended Reads
The war has direct effects on the firms operating in Russia and Ukraine and on firms relying on suppliers from those markets. But the shock caused by the war goes well beyond these two countries, as geopolitical risks have increased globally.
Clues from Russian Views

Ministry of the International Situation

Fyodor Lukyanov April 29, 2022
"Russia's place in the political map of the world depends on the fulfillment of tasks that relate to its internal sphere — political and socio-economic — rather than on drawing schemes of the world order," says the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs.
Clues from Russian Views

Patrushev: The West Has Created an Empire of Lies, Involving the Destruction of Russia

Nikolai Patrushev April 26, 2022
"Washington and Brussels do not hide the fact that their sanctions are aimed at both the material and spiritual impoverishment of Russians," says the secretary of the Russian Security Council.
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Would Putin’s Russia Really Nuke Ukraine?

Graham Allison April 22, 2022 Recommended Reads
If a nuclear strike killed 10,000 or 20,000 innocent Ukrainians, how would the United States or NATO respond?
Clues from Russian Views

World Order: The Limits to Revisionism

Oleg Barabanov April 22, 2022
“One of the characteristic features of this ‘pre-February 24’ world order was the dialectical struggle between the Western center of power and the major non-Western powers that sought to challenge it. … From our point of view, the concept of the multipolar world has not worked in the current situation," says the Valdai Club program director.
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Lessons From the Battle for Kyiv

Alex Vershinin April 21, 2022 RM Exclusives
The operation rapidly degenerated into an urban battle of attrition favorable to Ukraine, and eventually the Russian government withdrew its troops, conceding defeat in the battle for Kyiv, while preparing a second phase of the war in Donbas.
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Survey: What Would a Le Pen Presidency Mean for France’s Policy Toward Russia?

RM Staff April 20, 2022 RM Exclusives
The nationalist firebrand who has recently "put water in her vodka" and considerably toned down her anti-EU rhetoric is well known for cultivating warm ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Clues from Russian Views

'​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Big West Is Against Us and It Will Begin to Crumble Sooner or Later'

Interview with Sergey Karaganov April 12, 2022
“Ukraine was supposed to play the role of a spear, the tip of which is at the heart of ... Russia. This is a serious fight. They would like to weaken and destroy us, regretting that this was not done in the 1990s. ... We must unite, stand our ground and win," says the director of Russia's Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.
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Negotiators, Take Heed: Whether You’re Talking With Russia or Others, New Book Is Master Class on Working Your Way to a Deal

Olga Oliker April 06, 2022 RM Exclusives
A striking aspect of Rose Gottemoeller’s story of New START is that she and her team faced as many challenges from the U.S. as from their Russian counterparts.
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Strategic Folly in Ukraine: A War That Putin Cannot Win

Lawrence Freedman March 03, 2022 Recommended Reads
From the start, the Russian campaign has been hampered by political objectives that cannot be translated into meaningful military objectives.