Category: Russia

Will the Balkans be Russia’s next virtual battlefield?

     

Russia’s efforts to project its power abroad are likely to continue and to expand, observers suggest. The Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns seek to “crumble democracies from the inside out” by “winning… Read more »

Russia Beyond Putin: Is fundamental change possible?

     

Is fundamental change in Russia possible? Would it overhaul the system, or modify or improve it without transforming it? And if change were to occur, will it necessarily be change Western… Read more »

Backing Belarus, Russia protesters is morally justified — and strategically smart

     

The European Parliament has expressed concern over the “new wave of repression” in Belarus, which includes raids on raids on civil society organizations and “preventive” arrests of opposition members before the protests…. Read more »

Russian information warfare at its worst

     

Russian information warfare at its worst, visit the Baltic states, Christian Caryl writes for The Washington Post: Interference with elections? Check. Cyberattacks? Check. Prominent politicians with murky links to the Kremlin? Check. Fake news and… Read more »

Populism’s false promise could ‘reinvigorate liberal democracy’

     

The resurgence of populism has disrupted the post-Cold War political order and raised the prospect of instability in Europe and Eurasia, according to Nations in Transit 2017, the 22nd edition… Read more »

West ‘ignoring Putin’s actions’ – must engage Russia’s democracy movements

     

The U.S. should remain engaged with Russia’s pro-democracy movement, says a leading opposition activist. It is important to maintain pressure on the Russian authorities and President Vladimir Putin and take… Read more »

Belarus on the boil: What happens next?

     

Belarus authorities have arrested dozens in the wake of demonstrations protesting a law against “social parasites,” RFE/RL reports. The 2015 law took effect earlier this year, sparking protests that have broadened into… Read more »

Putin Generation finds its voice in anti-corruption protests

     

In Russia’s once-quiet provinces, young people took the lead in last weekend’s anti-corruption protests, AP reports. According to user data compiled from a social media page for people who said… Read more »

U.S. ill-prepared to counter Russia’s disinformation

     

Propaganda is nothing new. But Moscow is frighteningly effective—and worse is on the way, says Mike Rogers, a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. What’s… Read more »

Myth of Putin starts to crumble

     

Since the start of the 21st century, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dominated Russian politics. So much so that global media often refer to him as a czar and dictator…. Read more »