More than 20 months after Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the dominant conventional wisdom is that Vladimir Putin’s autocratic and imperial regime has been isolated and ostracized. Moscow’s relations with the West have been all but severed. Putin’s travel is severely limited due to war crimes indictments. And the Russian economy is cut off from global financial markets due to sanctions. Continue reading
Vladimir Putin makes a rare foreign trip, visiting Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum, where he is greeted warmly by Xi Jinping. The two autocratic leaders claimed they were trying to establish a “fairer, multipolar world.” Continue reading
It’s been almost a decade since Russia illegally annexed Crimea with Vladimir Putin calling the peninsula sacred ground. And the public reaction to this first forceful change of borders in … Continue reading
What does Vladimir Putin believe? Is there a coherent ideology driving his regime, its autocracy, and its imperial ambitions? If so, where did this ideology come from? And what does it mean for Russian domestic and foreign policy going forward? Continue reading
Following Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the United States, and as Ukraine continues to make incremental gains in its counteroffensive in the east, reports are surfacing that Washington is finally ready to provide Kyiv with the long-range ATACMS missile systems it has been seeking. Continue reading
As Ukraine continues to make incremental gains in its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces in the east, Moscow is conducting a quieter offensive of its own in other parts of the former Soviet Union. Continue reading
Wagner Chief confirmed dead Brian Whitmore, Non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council breaks down what happens next after the news.
Brian Whitmore discusses the credibility of the Kremlin’s denial in Prigozhin’s alleged death.
In the immortal words of Omar Little, “You come at the king, you best not miss.” Continue reading
The fascinating Russia soap opera involving Wagner Chief Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin continued yesterday. News broke that Prigozhin had died in a plane crash inside Russia. Was this an accident? … Continue reading
