Russia

Russia was the dominant republic in the former Soviet Union and took tentative steps toward an open society and market economy in the 1990s. But during the early 2000s, under leader Vladimir Putin, its direction changed. At the end of the 1990s, this quasi-democracy pivoted to an authoritarian direction. The economic system, which had been moving toward a market economy, has been characterized by corrupt crony capitalism. During the same period, Putin’s external policy has become increasingly revisionist, designed to overturn the post-Cold War world, and aggressive.

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Europe in crisis

War in Ukraine

Experts from across the Atlantic Council are assessing the consequences of Russia’s February 2022 invasion, including what it means for Ukraine’s sovereignty, Europe’s security, and the United States’ leadership.

More on the war View UkraineAlert
Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an investment in US defense

New Atlanticist Dec 4, 2024

A winning strategy to end Russia’s war against Ukraine

More than a dozen experts from the United States and Europe share their recommendations to the incoming Trump administration about how best to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an investment in US defense

Russia Tomorrow Jan 8, 2025

Sanctioned kleptocracy: How Putin’s kremligarchs have survived the war—and even prospered

By Ilya Zaslavskiy

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow series explores how Russia’s kleptocratic networks infiltrated the West and measures the US and Europe can take to combat the malign influence of Russian kleptocracy around the globe.
Corruption Economy & Business
Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an investment in US defense

UkraineAlert Jan 14, 2025

No peace without security: Ukraine needs guarantees against new Russian invasion

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is ready to make territorial concessions but insists that any peace deal must include credible long-term security guarantees to prevent a new Russian invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict European Union

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COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

The Power Vertical

The Power Vertical is a blog and podcast for Russia wonks and Kremlin watchers by Brian Whitmore. It covers emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today.

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Host and Eurasia Center Senior Fellow Brian Whitmore invites guest experts to deliver their insights and analysis in this weekly podcast. The Atlantic Council and the Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington co-sponsor this production.

The Russia Tomorrow series

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 challenged much of the common Western understanding of Russia. How can the world better understand Russia? What are the steps forward for Western policy? The Eurasia Center’s new “Russia Tomorrow” series seeks to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow.

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Russia Tomorrow

Russia Tomorrow: Five scenarios for Russia’s future

by Casey Michel

A new Atlantic Council report explores five paths that Russia future might take in its future. What forces will shape Russia’s future?

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Ukraine’s human capital and the foundations of recovery and long-term security
Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia Resilience & Society Russia
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Report launch: Negotiating with Putin’s Russia
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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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Content

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an investment in US defense

By Atlantic Council

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Putin is counting on Western disunity to hand him victory in Ukraine

By Mykola Bielieskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unable to defeat the Ukrainians on the battlefield but he remains confident that Western disunity will ultimately hand him victory in Ukraine, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict European Union

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Kaluderovic in Foreign Policy: The drone attrition tap

By Atlantic Council

Defense Industry Defense Technologies

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Kaluderovic in Fox News: Trump’s strike on Iran deals a major blow to Putin’s war machine in Ukraine

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Defense Industry

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Gongadze in Ukrainska Pravda: “Europe at war.” Friends of Europe’s warning shot

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Wartime Ukraine offers global lessons on the future of cyber resilience

By Oleksandr Bakalynskyi, Maggie McDonough

The twelve years of cyber warfare that have accompanied Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine have transformed the country’s digital environment into a proving ground for modern conflict, write Oleksandr Bakalynskyi and Maggie McDonough.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy

UkraineAlert

Mar 17, 2026

The Iran war is good for the Russian economy but bad for Putin’s prestige

By Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

From Armenia and Syria to Venezuela and Iran, Moscow’s inability since 2022 to aid its allies in times of crisis has seriously damaged Russia’s reputation as a global power, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.

Conflict Geopolitics & Energy Security

In the News

Mar 16, 2026

Peterson in the Washington Post: I’ve seen several types of warfare. This is the worst.

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

The Big Story

Mar 16, 2026

The coming compute war in Ukraine

For the United States, the coming compute war isn't just a Ukrainian problem—it's a preview of US challenges in future conflict.

Defense Industry Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Mar 14, 2026

UN: Putin’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity

By Peter Dickinson

Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity, a new United Nations investigation has found. The mass abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is part of a genocidal Kremlin plan to erase Ukrainian identity, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation
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Experts

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Staff

James Batchik

Associate Director

Europe Center

Central Europe Digital Policy

Fellow

Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow

Europe Center Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Central Europe Defense Policy

Staff

Eto Buziashvili

Research Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Fellow

Michael Carpenter

Distinguished Fellow

Eurasia Center Europe Center

Eastern Europe National Security
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