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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.

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

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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.

Content

UkraineAlert

May 24, 2022

The Putin puzzle: Why is the Russian dictator so obsessed with Ukraine?

By Bohdan Vitvitsky

Vladimir Putin has sought to justify his invasion of Ukraine by claiming the country has no right to exist but in reality modern Ukraine enjoys a level of democratic legitimacy that far exceeds his own authoritarian regime.

Civil Society Conflict

In the News

May 24, 2022

Slavin quoted in The New Arab on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is strengthening Iran’s influence in Syria

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Extremism

SouthAsiaSource

May 24, 2022

How the Russia-Ukraine war impacts India’s self-reliance campaign

By Adnan Ahmad Ansari

India’s diplomatic response to the Ukraine-Russia war has become an enigma and a topic of global interest. 

Economy & Business India

In the News

May 24, 2022

Klain speaks with TICKER NEWS on being sanctioned by the Kremlin

By Atlantic Council

More about our expert

Economic Sanctions Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

May 22, 2022

Centuries of Russian oppression have forged Ukraine’s remarkable resilience

By Pete Shmigel

Centuries of traumatic experience with the horrors of Russian imperialism have shaped today’s Ukraine in ways that may actually contribute to Putin's defeat and help Ukrainians to build a better future for their country.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2022

Appeasement is the worst possible policy for both Ukraine and Russia

By Dennis Soltys

Western advocates of appeasement in Ukraine such as French President Emmanuel Macron fail to appreciate the deep-rooted imperial ambitions underpinning Vladimir Putin's campign to extinguish Ukrainian independence.

Conflict Democratic Transitions
Banner image: Incendiary weapons explode above the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Source: @faceofwar/archive)

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2022

Russian War Report: Russian forces use incendiary munitions in Mariupol

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

New photo and video evidence suggests that the Russian military continues to use incendiary and cluster munitions against Ukrainian forces.

Disinformation Eastern Europe

BelarusAlert

May 19, 2022

Belarus dictator targets anti-war saboteurs with death penalty

By Alesia Rudnik

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has introduced amendments to the country's capital punishment legislation that will make it possible to impose death sentences on anti-war saboteurs.

Belarus Civil Society

In the News

May 19, 2022

Katz quoted in Arab News on overlapping interests between Russia and authoritarian leaders in the Middle East

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Corruption

In the News

May 19, 2022

Konaev in Washington Post on assessing Ukraine’s military

By Atlantic Council

Margarita Konaev argues that the US military had better assessments of the capabilities of Ukraine's military as they trained them.

Conflict Crisis Management

Experts