Russia

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.

issue spotlight

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
Europe has the resources to contain Russia but lacks the political will

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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Europe has the resources to contain Russia but lacks the political will

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
Europe has the resources to contain Russia but lacks the political will

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
Conflict Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy 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

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2026

Europe has the resources to contain Russia but lacks the political will

By Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk

Europe unquestionably possesses the industrial and economic base to outmatch Russia but has yet to demonstrate the unity and political will necessary to contain the Kremlin and stop Putin in Ukraine, writes Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2026

Ukraine’s military success is exposing the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By Kateryna Odarchenko

The Kremlin is promoting the idea of inevitable Russian victory in Ukraine as part of efforts to deter further support for Kyiv, but this narrative is being undermined by mounting Ukrainian military successes, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Zelenskyy’s Gulf region tour was a masterclass in wartime diplomacy

By Peter Dickinson

As the Iran War focuses global attention on the Middle East, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the Gulf region in late March on a whirlwind tour that showcased Ukraine’s growing military strength and geopolitical clout, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Ukraine bombs Russia’s Baltic ports as Zelenskyy targets Putin’s oil exports

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says the country’s partners have called on Kyiv to scale down attacks on Russian energy infrastructure after drone strikes reportedly reduced Russia’s oil export capacity by at least 40 percent as global energy prices surge amid the Iran War, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Drones

Dispatches

Mar 30, 2026

Europe needs a 21st-century containment strategy toward Russia

By Vytautas Leškevičius, Julia Salabert

Only a policy toward Russia grounded in strength, combined with a refusal to compromise on core principles, can alter the Kremlin’s calculus.

Defense Policy Geopolitics & Energy Security

Dispatches

Mar 30, 2026

Inside Tehran’s toll booth

By Alisha Chhangani

Iran is using formal, semi‑formal, and informal channels, as well as entirely new systems, to avoid US sanctions and sell oil to China.

China Conflict

Report

Mar 30, 2026

How the West lost the post-Cold War era

By Brian Whitmore

The latest Atlantic Council Eurasia Center report examines the lessons from the post-Cold War period and what the United States and its allies can do to counter Russian revanchism today.

Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy

Issue Brief

Mar 27, 2026

Deterrence in a two-peer world requires prudence

By Kingston Reif

Washington faces the challenge of preserving credible deterrence and reassuring allies against two potential nuclear peers—possibly acting together—without fueling dangerous instability or draining resources from other defense priorities. This will require a balanced approach that avoids counterproductive arsenal growth.

China Nuclear Deterrence

Issue Brief

Mar 27, 2026

Why US strategic nuclear forces must expand after New START

By Paul Amato

With the New START treaty's caps on the US nuclear force expired, the United States has an opportunity to increase and adapt its nuclear force to deter both Russia and China. Policymakers should seize it.

China Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2026

Only additional pressure can push Putin toward peace

By Kira Rudik

With the Kremlin ignoring calls for a compromise peace, the only way to advance negotiations is by putting more pressure on Putin. Failure to do so could have disastrous consequences that would be felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine, writes Kira Rudik.

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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