Simon Saradzhyan is the founding director of Russia Mattersand 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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Russians React to Strikes on Iran: Condemn US, Welcome Its Diversion From Ukraine, No Concrete Help to Iran
Simon SaradzhyanJune 23, 2025
Having taken a pause in his comments on Iran after the U.S.
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Can Russia Somehow Benefit From Israel-Iran Conflict?
Simon SaradzhyanJune 18, 2025
In July 2015, Maj. Gen.
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Russians React to Israeli Strikes on Iran: Fear of Nuclear War, Partition of Iran
Simon Saradzhyan, Angelina FloodJune 13, 2025
As of Friday afternoon, Russian President Vladimir Putin was yet to directly weigh in on Israel’s overnight attacks on military, nuclear and other targets in Iran, though his spokesman Dmitry Pesko
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Following Putin’s Lead, Russians Warm Up to Trump’s America, Want Mended Fence
Simon SaradzhyanJune 12, 2025
The latest of the Levada Center’s polls on Russians’ attitudes toward foreign countries reaffirms the proposition that whatever major foreign policy decision Vladimir Putin makes, most of his count
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Would Russia Attack NATO and, If So, When?
Simon SaradzhyanJune 05, 2025
Would Russia be capable of mounting a full-blown invasion into a NATO country?
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Strong Support for Ceasefire in Russia and Ukraine, But to What End?
Simon SaradzhyanApril 04, 2025
The Levada Center’s latest poll shows that a majority of Russians continued to support the launch of peace negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war in March (
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Why Was Russia Spared From Trump’s Tariffs?
Simon SaradzhyanApril 03, 2025
Import tariffs, which U.S.
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US Intel Sticks to View of Russia as Adversary Prepared to Pay ‘Very High Price’ to Prevail in Ukraine
Simon SaradzhyanMarch 27, 2025
“When the nation’s intelligence chiefs go before Congress ... to provide their first public ‘Worldwide Threat Assessment’ of President Trump’s second term, ...
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Readouts of Trump-Putin Call Reaffirm Divergence of US, RF Views on Path to Peace
Simon Saradzhyan, Ivan Arreguín-Toft, Angelina FloodMarch 20, 2025
In his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which lasted two-and-a-half hours on M
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3 Years Later: What Russia’s Aggression in Ukraine Has Cost It and What It’s Gained
Simon Saradzhyan, Ivan Arreguín-Toft, Angelina FloodFebruary 24, 2025
Introduction
Is Vladimir Putin a rational actor who weighs costs and benefits before making a momentous decision, such as whether to invade another country?