Politics
A close look at the inner workings of authoritarian power in Russia and beyond, and the forces that could one day transform it: how the Kremlin holds and wields power, why the democratic opposition endures, and what a genuine political renewal would take
The Company You Keep: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Influence Operations in Africa
Yevgeny Prigozhin, or "Putin's chef," as he's called in the press, is notorious for two things: dispatching Russian mercenaries into war zones and running a troll farm accused…
The Kremlin’s Influence Quarterly #2
The second issue of The Kremlin’s Influence Quarterly continues investigating the malign influence of Putin’s Russia in the areas of the economy, media, religion, civil society, politics, and…
The (Geo-)Political Aspects of Austrian−Russian Business Relations, Part II
The first part of this article is available here.This article is a part of the first issue of the Kremlin’s Influence Quarterly.You can also download this piece as a PDF.…
Russian Gas and the Financing of Separatism in Moldova
This article is a part of the first issue of the Kremlin’s Influence Quarterly.You can also download this piece as a PDF. Introduction Over the last 200 years, the main…
Russian Lawfare and other malign influence operations in Spain
This article discusses the main conditions of Russian-Spanish political and economic relations, their consequences and side effects.
AUTHORITARIAN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC
The report focuses on 5 countries situated in Eurasia: China, Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Hungary, all of which are led by authoritarian leaders that possess robust state machinery for population control. On these 5 country cases, the report investigates whether there were any features in their response to the pandemic specific for autocratic regimes and what are the outcomes of their approaches.
The (Geo-)Political Aspects of Austrian−Russian Business Relations, Part I
As COVID-19 spread from China to the rest of the world and became a pandemic, Moscow used the disaster to intensify its political war against the West
Russian Malign Influence Operations in Coronavirus‑hit Italy
As COVID-19 spread from China to the rest of the world and became a pandemic, Moscow used the disaster to intensify its political war against the West
The Kremlin’s Influence Quarterly #1
The first issue of Kremlin Influence Quarterly looks at malign influence operations of Vladimir Putin’s Russia in the areas of diplomacy, law, economy, politics, media and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 is a Threat to Putin
Interview with Denis Sokolov conducted by Lidia Mikhalchenko. On April 20, 2020, a spontaneous protest took place in North Ossetia. Official statements by the government described them as…