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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Fact and Analysis Check: Is Odesa ‘Putin’s Obsession'?

Graham Allison August 29, 2022 RM Exclusives
A recent New York Times article claims Odesa is “Putin’s obsession.” But is there any evidence to support this big idea?
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On Ukraine War, India Balances on Fine Line Between Russia and West

Rakesh Sharma August 26, 2022 RM Exclusives
The war in Ukraine has confronted India with difficult strategic choices as it strives to balance relationships with Washington and with Moscow while competing with Beijing.
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The World Putin Wants

Fiona Hill and Angela Stent August 25, 2022 Recommended Reads
Russia’s president ordered his "special military operation" because he believes that it is Russia’s divine right to rule Ukraine, to wipe out the country’s national identity and to integrate its people into a Greater Russia.
Clues from Russian Views

Volunteer Battalions: From Offense to (Territorial) Defense?

Nikolai Petrov August 19, 2022
Launched in the spring, the large-scale program to form volunteer battalions across Russia’s regions seeks to accomplish several tasks.
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War With Ukraine as Other Means to Speed Up Reversal of Russia’s ‘Civilizational Choice’

Simon Saradzhyan August 12, 2022 RM Exclusives
One overlooked aim of the war in Ukraine is Putin's attempt to speed up a clean break from a “declining” West, so that Russia can blossom as a separate civilization in alignment with the “great civilization” of a “rising” China.
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What’s Missing from Mearsheimer’s Analysis of the Ukraine War

Joe Cirincione July 29, 2022 RM Exclusives
To make the facts fit his assessment, he must disregard Russia’s own pronouncements, its brutality and the security imperatives of its neighbors.
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Ukraine’s Accession to the EU: Relations With Member States and Implications for the Balance of Power

Kai-Olaf Lang July 22, 2022 Recommended Reads
On the one hand, Ukraine aims to join the EU because it wants “more Europe.” On the other hand, a state fighting for its independence in war will be reluctant to allow sovereignty to be “pooled.”
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Challenges to Internal Security and the Rule of Law From an EU Perspective

Raphael Bossong July 22, 2022 Recommended Reads
The rapidly growing availability of weapons in Ukraine, the country's widespread corruption and weak rule of law and challenges to the eventual securing of ceasefire lines all pose a significant risk to the EU’s internal security.
Clues from Russian Views

Clues from Russian Views: Putin Thinks He’s Winning

Tatiana Stanovaya July 18, 2022
Sooner or later, Putin will face reality. It is in that moment, when his plans are stymied and his disappointment high, that he is likely to be most dangerous.
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Price Cap on Russian Oil Exports Would be Futile; West Should Opt for Tariff Instead

Daniel P. Ahn July 14, 2022 RM Exclusives
Fundamentally, to depress Russian oil revenue Western leaders have only two sets of policies under their control: to increase Western oil supply and to decrease Western oil demand.
interview

Fiona Hill: Putin’s Running Out of Time

Foreign Policy July 14, 2022 Recommended Reads
In this interview, the former White House Russia adviser says Putin wants the Ukraine conflict over with.
Clues from Russian Views

Sanctions Trap. Which Sanctions Work, Which Do Not and Which Are More Dangerous for Russia Than They Seem

Sergey Aleksashenko, Oleg Buklemishev, Oleg Vyugin, Kirill Rogov and Yulia Starostina July 12, 2022
In this analysis for The Bell, experts discuss which Western sanctions work, which don’t and how they impact the Russian economy.
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