The dynamics of Russia’s defence policy
Pavel Luzin discusses the interconnections between military expenditures, military education, exercises in Belarus and Russia’s political system
Conflicts
How I learnt to calm down about the threat of another Ukraine invasion
Maximilian Hess on why gaining concessions from the US is more important to the Kremlin than forcibly returning Ukraine to its sphere of influence
Authoritarianism in Russia-2022: In search of new legitimacy
Margarita Zavadskaya discusses whether a return of the “Teflon rating” is possible, as was the case after the Crimea
‘We are being dragged into a war’
Denis Volkov on Russian public opinion on a possible conflict with Ukraine
Doing away with props: Russia and the Middle East in 2021
Anton Mardasov on how Moscow’s actions towards the West resonated in the Middle East
The Taliban Afghanistan: Between Radicals and Pragmatists
Anton Mardasov and Kirill Semyonov discuss whether the Taliban are ready to stop terrorist attacks by international jihadists and ensure the security in Central Asia and Russia
Arms trafficking in the shadow of the Taliban
Eric Woods warns that the Taliban takeover could be a boon for the region’s arms smugglers, with a major risk of weapons leaking north into Russia
The Taliban has reached Kabul. Why is Moscow so calm?
Ivan U. Klyszcz looks at why Russia seems much less worried by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan than it was in the 1990s
Spiralling radicalisation in the North Caucasus
Harold Chambers warns how heavy handed security service crackdowns are galvanising islamic radicalisation in the North Caucasus
Russia’s security mirage in the Gulf
Milàn Czerny finds a few reasons to be skeptical of Russia’s ‘Security concept for the Persian Gulf’
Another Fraught Peace Is Brokered in Nagorno Karabakh. What Now?
Ivan Preobrazhensky comments on the fallout from the latest outbreak of war between Armenia and Azerbaijan