Analysis

This listing contains all the analytical materials posted on the Russia Matters website. These include: RM Exclusives, commissioned by Russia Matters exclusively for this website; Recommended Reads, deemed particularly noteworthy by our editorial team; Partner Posts, originally published by our partners elsewhere; and Future Policy Leaders, pieces by promising young scholars and policy thinkers. Content can be filtered by genre and subject-specific criteria and is updated often. Gradually we will be adding older Recommended Reads and Partner Posts dating back as far as 2011.
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China’s Long Game in Russia: Violating Sanctions? No. Ensuring Russia’s Survival? Yes.

Lizzi C. Lee June 30, 2022 RM Exclusives
A floundering Russia and reinvigorated NATO would cut against China's core security interests by giving Washington a stronger hand in its Thucydidian rivalry with Beijing.
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Why Putin Needs Peter the Great

Andrei Zorin June 23, 2022 RM Exclusives
A presidential adviser representing Russia at talks with Ukraine once claimed that historical truth is spurious and one must believe in facts that are beneficial to Russia. Putin clearly agrees.
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From Accepting NATO Aspirations to ‘Denazifying’: 20+ Years of Putin’s Changing Views on Ukraine

RM Staff June 16, 2022 RM Exclusives
Our review of 22 years of official statements makes it clear that, typically, Putin has publicly signaled shifts in his views on Ukraine before translating them into policy.
Clues from Russian Views

How Regions Are Suffering From War

Natalya Zubarevich June 16, 2022
In this interview, the Moscow State University instructor says Russia's advanced regions, which are most closely tied to global value chains, are hurting more than others.
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Hoping for a Russia Without Putin: Biden Wasn’t the First, or the Last

RM Staff May 26, 2022 RM Exclusives
Would the world be better off with Putin out of power? In this compilation, we have gathered statements by Western and Russian commentators who state or suggest just that, or at least try to explain the thinking of those who hold such a view.
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Putin’s Perilous Imperial Dream

Cristina Florea May 10, 2022 Recommended Reads
Underpinning Putin’s righteous battle for Russians in Ukraine is an organic vision of Russian nationhood defined by blood and cultural and spiritual traits rather than by political contract or choice.
explainer

Ukraine War Fallout Highlights How Russia Matter(ed?) to Global Economy

RM Staff May 05, 2022 RM Exclusives
Industries from energy and agriculture to computer chips and electric-car batteries have been hurt by the fighting, the international sanctions and their knock-on effects.
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Survey: What Would a Le Pen Presidency Mean for France’s Policy Toward Russia?

RM Staff April 20, 2022 RM Exclusives
The nationalist firebrand who has recently "put water in her vodka" and considerably toned down her anti-EU rhetoric is well known for cultivating warm ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
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Negotiating with Vladimir Putin: Video Advice from Five Former US Secretaries of State

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs March 25, 2022 Partner Posts
Based on their personal negotiations with this challenging Russian leader, this compilation delivers highly relevant insights from Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Rex Tillerson for forging a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.
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Can Sanctions Stop Russia?

Nicholas Mulder March 10, 2022 Recommended Reads
Punitive measures that inflict damage on entire populations and their economic life are morally fraught.
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Putin Is Angry, But He Isn’t Mad

Michael O’Hanlon March 09, 2022 Recommended Reads
He’s acted with arrogance and recklessness in Ukraine, but there’s ample historical precedent for his errors.
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Putin’s Rationality and Escalation in Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Kimberly Marten March 09, 2022 Recommended Reads
To understand whether Putin is likely to attack a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member-state or use nuclear weapons, it is helpful to consider a standard social science definition of rationality.
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