‘New KGB’ plans betray Putin’s anxiety
If true, this would be a serious shift in policy, reflecting a dawning awareness on Putin’s part that his old strategies for governing Russia are looking increasingly ineffective.
Wider Europe
Voices on Ukraine, voices of Ukraine: Sergei Pronkin
ECFR’s head of the Madrid office, Francisco de Borja Lasheras, speaks with Sergei Pronkin about why the Lenin monument in Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine was…
Voices on Ukraine, voices of Ukraine: Mash Keli
ECFR’s head of the Madrid office, Francisco de Borja Lasheras, speaks with Ukrainian teacher Mash Keli about what the situation is like now in Sloviansk…
EU-Turkey relations after July 15: Turning the page
A complex and explosive mixture of misunderstandings, bad blood and unrecognised but shared interests has brought EU-Turkey relationship to a critical juncture
Crimea goes to the polls: Non-recognition and the Russian Duma elections
It is only by doggedly pursuing non-recognition – and by mainstreaming this belief – that there can be any success in the future.
The new power couple: Russia and Iran in the Middle East
Joint military operations in Syria have brought Russia and Iran relations closer than at any point since World War II
Putin’s gamble on Russia’s Duma elections
Putin has sought to improve the apparent transparency of the electoral process while simultaneously strengthening the chance of a United Russia win. But pulling the election date forward delivers a short term benefit at the expense of longer term risk
Uzbekistan after Islam Karimov: The challenge of succession
It is difficult to predict how the transition will play out due to Uzbekistan’s opaque power sharing configuration. Nonetheless one can identify four potential scenarios
Russia in the grey zones
What role does Russia play in the breakaway regions of Eastern Europe?
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: Ukraine’s 25th anniversary of independence
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with experts Andrew Wilson, Fredrik Wesslau and Gustav Gressel, about rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Donbass, the Minsk agreement,…