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
As Nazarbayev prepares his exit, Putin takes note
On March 26, 2019, the global foreign policy wonk community was abuzz with the news of the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev from his long-held post as Kazakhstan’s president.…
How the Kremlin works
Top Russia experts in the U.S. and Europe understand that Putin’s regime has no center of planning. Everything operates on the basis of “personal bids.” Russian forces deploy to…
At the service of the sovereign
Throughout history, the church in Russia has been subordinated to the state, serving as an effective tool to advance the state’s agenda domestically and globally. This phenomenon held…
Azov Sea Conflict: what happened and how to react
On November 25, the Ukrainian ships “Berdyansk,” “Nikopol” and “Yany Kapu,” en route from Odessa to Mariupol through the Kerch Strait, were detained by officers of the Federal…
The conflict of interests. What autocephaly means for Ukraine and Russia
This text is also available in Russian. At Free Russia Foundation, we have identified the trend where various religious institutions, and especially the Russian Orthodox Church, have become…
Why We Must Speak Out about Oleg Sentsov Now
Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned by Russian forces in 2014, is on the verge of death. More than one hundred days ago, he began a hunger strike to demand that Russian President…
Priority Number One: Save Oleg Sentsov
To governments and legislators of democratic countries, to democracy promotion and human rights organizations, to all democracy-minded people, journalists, and public opinion leaders. Is the world listening? Does…
Is Putin’s Kremlin subverting Israeli democracy? A Russia expert thinks so
A devastating, complacency-shattering interview with Ilya Zaslavskiy, one of the world's leading experts on Moscow's overt and covert designs on the West. This article originally appeared in The…
Is Putin’s Kremlin subverting Israeli democracy? A Russia expert thinks so
A devastating, complacency-shattering interview with Ilya Zaslavskiy, one of the world's leading experts on Moscow's overt and covert designs on the West. This article originally appeared in The…
Russian pension reform: a “black swan” for Vladimir Putin?
Russian pension reform aimed at sharply raising the retirement age has all the chances to become a long-anticipated political “black swan” for Vladimir Putin's government—a mistake…