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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Crocus Attack Ends Lull of Six Years, Raises Question About Law-Enforcers’ Focus

Simon Saradzhyan March 28, 2024 RM Exclusives
One factor that propelled Vladimir Putin to power was his ability to convince many that he was the kind of leader who not only promised to protect them from the horrors of mass-casualty terrorism, but also delivered on his promises of security.
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Russian Women in the Face of War Against Ukraine

Egle E. Murauskaite March 26, 2024 Partner Posts
Russia’s war against Ukraine has revealed stories about the heroic resistance efforts of Ukrainian women, but comparable stories have been entirely lacking on Russia’s side.
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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.
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Russia’s Economy Once Again Defies the Doomsayers

The Economist March 10, 2024 Recommended Reads
As an election nears, Vladimir Putin now looks to have inflation under control
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.
Competing Views on Russia

Fiona Hill on Russia: Insights and Recommendations

RM Staff February 05, 2024 RM Exclusives
Fiona Hill, former National Security Council senior director for European and Russian affairs, has been producing scholarship, analysis and commentary on Russia for nearly 30 years. Get a sampling of it here.
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For Putin, Winning is Not Everything in Russia’s Presidential Election

Thomas Graham December 20, 2023 RM Exclusives
The election is meant to showcase Putin’s mastery of the political system, and therefore his legitimacy; by extension, it will serve as a referendum on the war in Ukraine itself.
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What Putin’s Unsurprising Re-Election Bid Means for Russia’s Future

Nikolas K. Gvosdev December 13, 2023 RM Exclusives
Putin wants the 2024 elections to confirm that he is the only option for seeing the Ukraine conflict to a successful close.
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Putin’s Favorite “Project Managers” Could Become a Risk to the Regime

Andrey Pertsev December 05, 2023 Recommended Reads
Enterprising and competent officials know full well they can survive without Putin. Whether the regime can survive without them, though, is another matter.
Competing Views on Russia

Kissinger on Russia: Insights and Recommendations

RM Staff and Associates December 01, 2023 RM Exclusives
In a compilation of remarks, newly updated following the eminent U.S. statesman's passing, Kissinger offers ways to reconcile America’s necessities with Russia’s concerns.
Competing Views on Russia

William Burns on Russia

Daniel Shapiro and RM Staff September 19, 2023 RM Exclusives
What has the CIA director said on Russia? Check out our compilation for some of Burns' observations and policy ideas regarding Russia.
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Why the Wagner Group Cannot Be Easily Absorbed by the Russian Military—and What That Means for the West

Kimberly Marten September 01, 2023 RM Exclusives
In one shape or another, the Wagner Group is likely to continue operating in the interests of Putin’s regime outside Russia, regardless of whether it comes under MoD command and the costs of doing so.
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