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
How the KGB Compensated for Perestroika
In addition to its espionage abroad, the KGB was always busy recruiting foreign nationals in the Soviet Union, with an eye to subsequently running them as agents in their home countries
Putin is Panicking
Vladimir Milov explains why Russian president started constitutional reforms well before 2024 elections. On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin did a rather unusual thing. Three years before the formal end…
The New Constitution of the Old President
Translated by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick In his speech before the elite of the Russian ruling class earlier this week, Vladimir Putin announced a new constitutional reform, which, in…
Putin drops a bomb. Or does he?
On January 15, 2020, President Vladimir Putin delivered his 16th Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. In his annual address to the lower and upper…
The Overview of Relationships of Council of Europe and Russia
In 2019, Russia regained its status in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This event caused many fears and sowed the seeds of doubt in the…
The Kremlin’s Hostages: Victories, Difficulties and New Challenges
On December 11, Free Russia House held a discussion, “Kremlin hostages: Victories, difficulties, new challenges” as part of the 4th human rights non-conference organized in Kyiv. The discussion…
The Value of the Club of Europe
“... in no circumstances shall a State be entitled to be called a democracy unless it does, in fact as well as in law, guarantee to its citizens…
Keynote Speech by Richard Hoogland “A Brief History of the Dutch Business in Russia”
Today we will talk about different aspects of Nord Stream-2. About political aspects of the deal, like bypassing transit countries like Ukraine and Belarus and the fact that…
Michael Weiss: Misrule of Law: How the Kremlin Uses Western Institutions to Undermine the West
Watch the full version of the "Misrule of Law: How the Kremlin Uses Western Institutions to Undermine the West" report presentation in Kyiv, Ukraine. Speaker: Michael Weiss, the…
The Lubyanka Files. Here’s How the KGB Knew You’d Be a Traitor: an Exclusive Look at Its Recruitment Manual
The bottom line for spy recruitment comes down to this: look for the losers, especially the ones who want to think they are winners because they hang on…