Russia Matters

Putin garnered one mention during the third debate; Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov doesn't expect Moscow's ties with Washington to improve overnight; and more in our weekly news digest.

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.

From the early 19th century to today, the “Russia” of American political construction is almost as far from the real Russia as the “America” of Russian propaganda is from the real United States.