Political and economic environment: a strong-arm approach Russia’s diplomatic and information efforts on the eve of signing a Euro-Ukrainian association agreement should be considered the key topic of the political and economic environment in November 2013.

A few words about the socio-political background that triggered some of the key economic events of December 2013. The most important political event of the month was the unexpected release from jail of former oil tycoon Michail Khodorkovsky who had spent 10 years and 2 months behind bars. As...

The main event in March which is having long-term political and economic consequences was the accession of Crimea to Russia, based on the results of the referendum conducted on 16 March. It has resulted in the most serious tension in the relations between Russia and Western countries since the...

Russia’s political background in May was determined by the mounting tension in the top echelons of the political bureaucracy. The sacking of Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov – one of the authors of the soft authoritarianism of the 2000s – was a manifestation of yet another personnel...

Escalation of socio-political tensions in July 2013 was caused by upcoming elections in various regions on September 8, 2013. The tension, in its turn, reflects general uptrend in political activity, which has been of cellular nature so far, of both common citizens and elite groups. Main...

The most noteworthy events of December 2012 were the adoption, by the U.S. Congress, of the so-called ‘Magnitsky Law’, whereby sanctions were introduced against the Russian officials directly involved in human rights violations; and the passing, by the RF State Duma, of a retaliatory...

The beginning of 2013 was marked by yet another outburst of opposition-led protest activity in Moscow, this time unexpectedly strong: according to different sources, between 20 and 50 thousand people took part in the March Against Scoundrels, which was aimed against the ‘Anti-Magnitsky Law’...

Russia’s political background in March appeared to be calm enough. Over recent months, the opposition’s activity has been evidently on the decline; the trend displayed by Vladimir Putin’ approval ratings, although still downward, is moving at a very slow rate; the deterioration, last autumn,...

In October, for the first time after an eight-year ‘break’, gubernatorial elections were held in Russia. The revival of gubernatorial elections by no means implies a revival of competition at the regional level – existing legislation ensures that this should not be allowed. At the same...

The beginning of the autumn was marked by an onset of fundamental conflicts in the ranks of the new Russian government and by some fresh signs of political reaction fomented in the State Duma by United Russia deputies. President Putin publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the federal...