Image license/credit PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 937 (PDF) Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution and the war in the Donbas, far-right groups in Ukraine have drawn significant attention from academics and policymakers, particularly their influence and ties to transnational far-right extremists in Europe. However, antiauthoritarian leftist groups in Ukraine—despite their…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 936 (PDF) The sustainability of illiberalism hinges on the adeptness of authoritarian regimes to monitor, subvert, and quash dissenting voices—both at home and abroad—while advancing their illiberal governance model thanks to a facade of political stability and social progress. To accomplish this, autocratic…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 935 (PDF) Once considered a model for democratic reform in the post-Soviet space, Georgia now stands at a critical juncture. Decades of alignment with European and NATO integration have facilitated institutional reforms and strengthened Georgia’s democratic framework. These accomplishments, however, are now severely…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 934 (PDF) After the death of the leading Russian dissident and opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a Siberian penal camp was announced on February 16, 2024, most Western decision-makers criticized Moscow and simultaneously praised the courage of Russia’s most famous political prisoner. The…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license In February 2025, nearly a third of Russians expressed favorable views of the United States—the highest level recorded since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Is this shift…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 932 (PDF) In early March 2025, reports from Bloomberg and Reuters, among other outlets, claimed that, during their February 12 phone conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered President Donald Trump Russia’s assistance as a mediator in talks with Iran over its nuclear program.…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license: Vakho Kareli/Aprili Media PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 931 (PDF) Georgia is undergoing a major identity crisis, with significant implications for both its regime type and its geopolitical alignment. Since restoring their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991—and in many ways long before then—Georgia’s people have consistently…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license On November 14, 2024, Qazaqstani authorities arrested Perizat Kairat, the founder and head of the foundation Biz Birgemiz Qazaqstan (“We Are Together Qazaqstan”), who was accused of embezzling…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 929 (PDF) The partial mobilization announced by the Kremlin in September 2022—six months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—triggered a significant wave of emigration and sparked protests across the country. Whereas these protests were short-lived, the mobilization has had profound and lasting repercussions,…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has reignited debates around post-colonialism and post-imperialism in Russia, sparking challenges to biases in Russian Studies in the West and calls for…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO NO. 925 (pdf) Communism’s collapse was greeted, broadly speaking, with relief and jubilation across Eastern Europe and most post-Soviet states. In Russia, however, it resonated differently. For Russians, the shock of market liberalization was not cushioned by the sort of optimistic national narrative that…| PONARS Eurasia
Image credit/license PONARS EURASIA POLICY MEMO no. 924 (PDF) On August 1, 2024, 26 individuals were exchanged in the largest East-West prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War. It included U.S. citizens Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as many prominent Russian political activists, such…| PONARS Eurasia
Image license/credit PONARS Policy Memo no. 868 (PDF) A recent Radio Free Liberty report tells the story of two young anti-war activists, Adelya and Ivan from Nizhnekamsk (Tatarstan), who fled Russia after being intimidated and threatened with criminal charges. They are not alone. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on…| PONARS Eurasia
