The socio-political situation in February was shaped by the escalating conflicts within this country's elite. The State Duma was shaken by scandals that resulted from the exposure of the ownership, by certain eminent representatives of the party in power, of real estate abroad that they had...

The beginning of 2013 was marked by yet another outburst of opposition-led protest activity in Moscow, this time unexpectedly strong: according to different sources, between 20 and 50 thousand people took part in the March Against Scoundrels, which was aimed against the ‘Anti-Magnitsky Law'...

Roman Panov (who was consequently arrested), the top managers of Rostelecom, and the former topmost officials from the RF Ministry of Agriculture. The active coverage of these scandalous developments by the mass media indicates that the authorities are eager to boost their popularity by...

The beginning of the autumn was marked by an onset of fundamental conflicts in the ranks of the new Russian government and by some fresh signs of political reaction fomented in the State Duma by United Russia deputies. President Putin publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the federal...

Escalation of socio-political tensions in July 2013 was caused by upcoming elections in various regions on September 8, 2013. The tension, in its turn, reflects general uptrend in political activity, which has been of cellular nature so far, of both common citizens and elite groups. Main...

The socio-political background of April 2013 was determined by the ongoing attacks on the government launched by the RF President and the law enforcement agencies; by the continuing debate around the issue of how to find the most effective way of stimulating economic growth; and by the Kremlin's...

The main event in March which is having long-term political and economic consequences was the accession of Crimea to Russia, based on the results of the referendum conducted on 16 March. It has resulted in the most serious tension in the relations between Russia and Western countries since the...

A few words about the socio-political background that triggered some of the key economic events of December 2013. The most important political event of the month was the unexpected release from jail of former oil tycoon Michail Khodorkovsky who had spent 10 years and 2 months behind bars. As...

In May 2015, investments in capital assets amounted to 92.4%, while in January-May 2015, to 95.2% as compared to respective indices of 2014. A drop in investments which continues for six quarters running has been determined by a decline of business activities since H2 2012 and made worse by the...

Russia's political background in May was determined by the mounting tension in the top echelons of the political bureaucracy. The sacking of Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov – one of the authors of the soft authoritarianism of the 2000s – was a manifestation of yet another personnel...