Civil Society
Civil society and its resilience under authoritarian pressure, in Russia and beyond: how people defend human rights and free expression, how the state works to silence them, and why independent voices and grassroots initiative still matter for a democratic future
Assault on Georgia’s Pride. Western democracy Faces off with Russia’s countryside
It was shocking for Western friends of Georgia, and supporters of Georgia’s bid for membership at NATO and the EU, to learn that an angry mob in Tbilisi stormed LGBTQ activists’ centers, attacking journalists and tourists. Yet, as we saw on July 5, 2021, this is precisely the reality on the ground in the Georgian capital.
The Pandemic: Anti-Western rhetoric and information campaign by the Kremlin-controlled Russian media
Today, it is hard to say whether the unraveling COVID-19 pandemic provided the reason for the Russian government to dust off their old textbooks, but the spread of the disease beyond China’s borders served as the occasion for the Russian propaganda to open a new “front” in the information war.
The main culprits of the Environmental Crises of Russia’s Far East
The profound and longstanding negligence which characterize Moscow’s attitude toward the Far East as Russia's extractive colony and periphery is most clearly manifested in environmental disasters continuously ravishing the region.
Putin’s War on Russia’s Youth
The events of the past few days have clearly demonstrated that Putin and his regime perceive Russia’s youth, especially its most active and politicized members, as the biggest…
Putin’s Courts: the Methodical Destruction of the State’s Most Important Institution
On April 7, well-known Russian opposition politician and Council chairman, Ilya Yashin, a deputy of the Krasnoselsky municipal district, received an electronic notification that a court sentenced him…
Save Navalny, Stop Putin!
On March 31, it was reported that Aleksei Navalny, who is currently imprisoned in a penal colony, began a hunger strike to protest prison officials’ abuse and the…
The Arrest of One Governor and the True Worth of Putin’s Ratings
According to official Central Election Commission data, in September 2020, Ivan Belozertsev, member of the United Russia party nominated by Putin, won an amazing 78.8 percent of the…
Repression as the Essence of Putin’s Domestic Policy
For the past few years, the Russians have been living in an atmosphere of growing political repression. The more things soured for Putin domestically and internationally, the larger…
More West in Georgia now
Before I start describing Georgia as a country and a reform leader in its region - Georgia is, after all, a country recognized for its success on its path toward inclusion in the Euro- and Euro-Atlantic family - I would like to pose to readers of this material the question whether you personally believe that Georgia is an important country for the West or not?
Putin and the Internet: The War Is Only Beginning
In order to ensure his dominance in the media space on the eve of a new electoral cycle, Putin is willing to use any means including the blocking…