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.
interview

Mearsheimer on Where the Ukraine War Is Headed

RM Staff March 14, 2024 RM Exclusives
On a recent episode of the “Daniel Davis Deep Dive” podcast, John Mearsheimer has claimed that he considers “ridiculous” the idea that Ukraine will be able to take the offensive in 2024 or 2025.
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 the Pentagon Has Learned From 2 Years of War in Ukraine

Alex Horton February 22, 2024 Recommended Reads
A classified year-long study on the lessons learned from both sides of the bloody campaign examined five areas: ground maneuver, air power, information warfare, sustaining and growing forces and long range fire capability.
article

Macron’s European Security Order: Stronger European Defense, Less Reliance on US and New Post-War Dynamic With Russia

Rym Momtaz February 02, 2024 RM Exclusives
Since February 2023, Macron has consistently stated that Russia cannot and must not win its war against Ukraine—but at the same time, he has repeatedly talked about the need to build a security architecture “with” Russia once the war is over.
article

Russia, the West and the ‘World Majority’

Angela Stent January 25, 2024 RM Exclusives
As Russia begins its one-year presidency of the BRICS this month, great power competition in the Global South, or what Russia now calls the “World Majority,” will intensify.
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The High Price of Losing Ukraine: Part 2 — The Military Threat and Beyond

Nataliya Bugayova December 22, 2023 Recommended Reads
A Russian victory in Ukraine would create a world fundamentally antithetical to U.S. interests and values with an empowered anti-Western coalition.
Competing Views on Russia

Kissinger on Russia: Insights and Recommendations

RM Staff and Associates December 01, 2023 RM Exclusives
In a compilation of remarks, newly updated following the eminent U.S. statesman's passing, Kissinger offers ways to reconcile America’s necessities with Russia’s concerns.
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

West Sanctions Russian Aviation, But Moscow Decides to Keep Planes Flying Despite Risks

Steven E. Harris October 26, 2023 RM Exclusives
As Russia seeks cracks in Western countries’ united efforts to sanction Russia over its war against Ukraine, U.S. policymakers and their allies need to better explain not only the motifs, but also the goals of their punitive measures against Russia’s aviation sector.
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.