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...

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 socio-political situation in February was shaped by the escalating conflicts within this country's elite. The State Duma was shaken by scandals that resulted from the exposure of the ownership, by certain eminent representatives of the party in power, of real estate abroad that they had...

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'...

Roman Panov (who was consequently arrested), the top managers of Rostelecom, and the former topmost officials from the RF Ministry of Agriculture. The active coverage of these scandalous developments by the mass media indicates that the authorities are eager to boost their popularity by...

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...

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

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 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...

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...