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.
survey

Expert Survey: Does Russia’s Presidential Election Matter to US and Its Allies?

RM Staff March 15, 2024 RM Exclusives
Some Western Russia experts agree that despite Putin's inevitable victory, the election can still offer clues about the challenges the Kremlin faces, as well as the extent of anti-war sentiment among Russians.
Clues from Russian Views

The World According to Dyumin—Putin’s Former Bodyguard and His Potential Successor

Olga Kiyan February 29, 2024 RM Exclusives
Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's former bodyguard and governor of the Tula oblast—which Dyumin has called Russia's "weapons capital"—will likely be one of the top contenders to succeed Putin thanks to his proximity to the Russian leader and his versatile experience.
article

What Would a Trump Administration Mean for the War in Ukraine?

Anatol Lieven November 30, 2023 RM Exclusives
Following the failure of the Ukrainian offensive, all major players in the war in Ukraine seem to be awaiting the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election to address the problem of negotiations.
article

Gender Norms Keep Russian, Ukrainian Servicewomen From Combat

Jessica Trisko Darden November 22, 2023 RM Exclusives
Despite a century of women’s involvement in the region’s wars, Russian and Ukrainian women's involvement as combatants today echoes a global pattern where women are relegated to roles that distance them from frontline combat. 
Competing Views on Russia

New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown on Russia

Conor Cunningham, Mikael Pir-Budagyan and RM Staff October 06, 2023 RM Exclusives
What has the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Russia? See our compilation for his observations and recommendations for countering “the acute threat of Russia.”
Competing Views on Russia

William Burns on Russia

Daniel Shapiro and RM Staff September 19, 2023 RM Exclusives
What has the CIA director said on Russia? Check out our compilation for some of Burns' observations and policy ideas regarding Russia.
article

Mutiny in Russia: What Happened, What’s Next and What To Be Thankful For

Simon Saradzhyan June 29, 2023 RM Exclusives
Deus ex machina or not, we should be thankful that this struggle for power within the Russian ruling elite did not acquire a nuclear dimension.
article

Nuclear Weapons in Belarus: History Repeats Itself

William Alberque March 31, 2023 RM Exclusives
Russia’s increasingly violent nuclear rhetoric and basing of nuclear weapons in Belarus are to be condemned. However, these developments do not alter the balance of power in Europe, nor do they significantly alter the risk of nuclear conflict.
debate

Debate: Is US Support for Ukraine Costing ‘Peanuts’ or Too Much?

Yana Demeshko March 30, 2023 RM Exclusives
Western policymakers are asking themselves whether the billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv have been well spent. Two analysts offer opposing assessments in a debate co-hosted by Russia Matters.
article

Post-War Security for Ukraine: Eventually the Fighting Will End. What Then?

Stefano Stefanini March 02, 2023 RM Exclusives
The West will have to give Ukraine bespoke, fool-proof international security guarantees while pragmatically engaging Russia in talks on arms control and confidence building.
article

Domestic Politics Encourage Continued War of Attrition in Ukraine in 2023

Thomas Graham February 22, 2023 RM Exclusives
The main question now: How far will the escalation go?
Clues from Russian Views

Devoted to Putin: Volodin's Views on Russia, the West and the Rest

RM Staff January 27, 2023 RM Exclusives
Despite his mastery of reductionist flattery and "unlimited devotion" to Putin, the speaker of the State Duma likely isn't a member of the Russian president's inner-most circle. Still, he may have a shot at the Kremlin when Putin steps down.
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