Eastern Europe

Putin’s Russian Empire is collapsing like its Soviet predecessor

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was meant to extinguish the Ukrainian state once and for all. Instead, Russian influence in the post-Soviet region is in danger of receding to levels not witnessed in hundreds of years.

Russian War Report: Ukraine secures new territory as Prigozhin recruits Russian prisoners 

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

As Ukraine recaptures its territory, Russia attempts to recruit convicts. Elsewhere, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan renews and hundreds of civilians are found dead in Izyum.

State of the Order: Assessing August 2022

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Death of Mikhail Gorbachev highlights Europe’s lingering memory divide

By Peter Dickinson

The death of Mikhail Gorbachev has highlighted the memory divide between Western Europe and the countries of the former Eastern Bloc that also shapes contemporary attitudes toward Putin's imperial agenda.

To re-engage in the Black Sea, the US must look to Turkey

By Arnold C. Dupuy

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presents an opportunity for the United States to re-engage in the Black Sea region. To do so, it will need to work with partners and allies, such as Turkey.

What legacy does Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, leave behind?

Our experts examine Gorbachev's complicated legacy and wonder: What could have been?

Russia’s Ukraine War is forcing the Belarus opposition to rethink strategy

By Alesia Rudnik

Representatives of the Belarusian opposition gathered in Vilnius on August 8-9 for a conference that highlighted a mood of growing militancy as they respond to the new realities created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.