Russia Matters

Lavrov says groundless accusations against Iran over attacks on Saudi oil industry inflaming tensions; the whistleblower complaint involves Trump’s communications with a foreign leader and an alarming “promise.” More in our weekly news digest.

Corruption is a feature, not a bug, of the Russian political system, and self-enrichment is crucial to understanding why Russia’s leaders make the decisions that they do, Aslund argues in his new book.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin lamented the population decline in the country’s Far East, saying it falls in an “alarming, red zone.” While this region, which borders China, may raise particularly acute demographic concerns for the Kremlin, the country’s population decline more broadly is once again vexing the Russian leadership.