Simon Saradzhyan

Simon Saradzhyan is the founding director of Russia Matters and the assistant director of the U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

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Has the Russian-Ukraine war reached a turning point favoring Ukraine?

Simon Saradzhyan July 02, 2026 RM Exclusives
To hear multiple Western and some Ukrainian commentators say it, the Russian-Ukrainian war has reached a turning point in the past month or so, and it favors Kyiv. In this evolving draft, I break down the military, political, and economic factors that might help us answer whether that's true.
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Russia’s Longer Inter-State Wars Have More Often Ended in Victory

Simon Saradzhyan, Ivan Kurilla, Angelina Flood, Ivan Arreguín-Toft June 18, 2026

About a year ago, Vladimir Medinsky, Vladimir Putin’s assistant and Russia’s then chief negotiator with Ukraine, told 

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Selling Peace to Ukrainians, Russians

Simon Saradzhyan May 29, 2026 RM Exclusives
With no military triumph in sight, leaders on both sides will face an uphill battle in convincing their constituents they have won the Ukraine war.
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US Intel on Russia: Less Attention, But Greater Concern Over Escalation

Simon Saradzhyan March 19, 2026

Comparing the U.S.

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Russia Condemns Deadly Attacks on Iran While Weighing Strategic Risks, Opportunities

Simon Saradzhyan, Angelina Flood March 02, 2026

Russia’s official line regarding the U.S.

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4 Years Later: What Russia’s Aggression in Ukraine Has Cost It and What It’s Gained

Simon Saradzhyan, Ivan Arreguín-Toft, Angelina Flood February 24, 2026

Introduction

Is Vladimir Putin a rational actor who weighs costs and gains before making a momentous decision, such as whether to invade another country?

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Most Russians Favor Escalation in Ukraine Over Concessions If No Peace Deal

Simon Saradzhyan, Angelina Flood January 30, 2026

The Levada Center’s latest polling on Ukraine indicates a notable hardening of the Russian public’s attitude

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Is EU Overtaking US as Russia’s Main Adversary in Eyes of Russians?

Simon Saradzhyan December 04, 2025

After briefly seeing more Russians express positive views of the U.S.

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More Russians Have Positive Views of US Than Negative for 1st Time Since 2021

Simon Saradzhyan September 05, 2025

The gap between Russians who describe the relationship between their country and the U.S.

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Polls Show Ukrainians Increasingly Want End to War, But Not Under Russia’s Terms

Simon Saradzhyan, Angelina Flood August 08, 2025

More than three years into the war, Ukrainians’ support for continuing the fight against Russia until victory is “collapsing,” according to