"The Kremlin’s basic task right now is to keep Washington in a constructive mindset toward Russia. That in itself is already facilitating the achievement of Putin’s goals in Ukraine." @Stanovaya on yesterday's phone call between Trump and Putin.

When the Kremlin moved to block foreign social media sites in February 2022, it left YouTube untouched. But last year, its relative freedom finally came to an end. Alena Epifanova on the throttling of YouTube & growing state internet control in Russia.

RT @amenka: @Stanovaya and my 5 kopecs on the future of Western coalition from the Kremlin

RT @Stanovaya: Some quick thoughts on the latest news concerning #Trump-#Putin contact and everything related to it. 1. The first talks be…

Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Shoigu, and Andrei Turchak were demoted in 2024. However, they have been vigorously trying to claw back their former power and status—and not without success, argues Andrey Pertsev.

RT @komin_mo: Yuri Borisov (the other one) has been resigned from Roskomos and hasn't received a new assignment. This news is another strik…

🎙️ NEW EPISODE of the Carnegie Politika podcast: @alexgabuev and Eric Ciaramella discuss potential peace talks on Ukraine and what it would take to reach a deal.

The purge in Russia’s Defense Ministry was likely intended as a way to make military spending more efficient. But now other elite groups are worrying they could face similar treatment, explains @komin_mo:

"In today’s Russia, anyone could be arrested at any moment, regardless of their position and rank. The elites are descending into survival mode: it’s every man for himself." Read @Stanovaya's article on how the war is changing the Russian regime:

"Faced with the conditions of a real war, the defense industry’s priorities have shifted toward conventional forces." Maxim Starchak explains why Russia’s nuclear forces stopped being updated in 2024.

"While Armenia remains formally aligned with Russia, its shift toward the West is becoming increasingly evident." @Olesya_vArt on Armenia's gradual reorientation.

The wide-ranging treaty signed by Russia’s Vladimir Putin & Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian was presented as a breakthrough in relations between the two countries. However, the pact requires no direct obligations from either party, writes @NikitaSmagin:

The apparently accidental downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet by Russian air defenses is becoming a defining moment in the evolving ties between the Kremlin and former Soviet republics, argues Alexey Gusev:

"Perhaps each party was hoping that one of the others would agree to make concessions, but in the end everyone was prepared to suffer rather than give anything away to the enemy." @SergeyVakulenk0 on the consequences of ending gas transit via Ukraine:

“As long as the war in Ukraine continues, Russia will remain unable to export security abroad.” Read @baunov's analysis of the Kremlin's post-Syria status in international politics in @ForeignAffairs:

A 🧵 about Moldova's ambitious quest to reintegrate Transnistria following Russia's invasion of Ukraine—and the economic and geopolitical hurdles it faces along the way—based on @G_Ibragimova11’s analysis for Carnegie Politika: 1/

"The Russian president dismissed European leaders, and was cautious about whether negotiations with Trump on Ukraine would yield anything." @Stanovaya analyzes Putin's latest end-of-year press conference:

"The storm of government spending can't address the chronic problems that have long plagued the Russian economy. We are witnessing an irreversible turn toward economic stagnation." @amenka on the current state of the Russian economy and its challenges:

"As the latest U.S. sanctions make it even harder for Russian businesses to settle international payments, they are being forced to use ancient methods like hawala." @SergeyVakulenk0 explains why the official ruble exchange rate now matters less.

🎙️ NEW EPISODE of the Carnegie Politika podcast: @alexgabuev, @HannaNotte, and @NicoleGrajewski analyze what the regime change in Syria means for Russia.