On primaries, veterans in the workforce, fiscal troubles and others

Posted on April 28, 2026 by

United Russia and the Communist Party are both highlighting the number of war participants in their respective “primaries”, but what is the significance of this at a time when even the Prosecutor General is raising the alarm about the failure to provide a reintegration perspective to returning soldiers? Can regional finances be helped, barring a major turnaround in the real economy? I am discussing these questions as well as an assortment of other regional political developments below.

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On livestock protests in Siberia, the pitfalls of the Duma vote and others

Posted on April 1, 2026 by

What do the protests over livestock culling in Siberia say about the relationship between the Russian state and its citizens? And why is this just one of the many accumulating grievances that the Kremlin is concerned about ahead of this year’s Duma election? And why are they concerned, to begin with? More on these and some assorted news from Russia’s regions that did not make their way into Bear Market Brief over the past month.

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On regional budgets, veteran reintegration and others

Posted on February 24, 2026 by

What does a bit more granular look at regional deficits from preliminary electronic budget data tell us about fiscal risks in 2026? What can we glean from the first year of the regional equivalents of the “Time of Heroes” training program for returning war participants? More on these and on an assortment of other recent regional news below.

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On the costs of veteran reintegration, regional elections and more

Posted on January 31, 2026 by

As the year starts in Russia, the reintegration of soldiers and upcoming regional and Duma elections are on the mind of the authorities. The Kremlin is creating pathways to spread the cost of and responsibility for veteran reintegration, while regions continue to tinker with their electoral systems to make it easier for the ruling party to preserve its position. I briefly discuss this and an assortment of other regional news below.

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On the municipal reform and war participants, Putin’s press conference and others

Posted on December 20, 2025 by

The federal reform of municipal public administration continues to throw waves and upsetting people – unsurprisingly, even former war participants. This is just one of the many underlying political risks that the Kremlin is aware of but can do little to address in earnest – as Putin’s end-of-the-year press conference also reflected. More on this and an assortment of other regional news below.

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On the ongoing municipal reform, flamboyant governors and others

Posted on November 14, 2025 by

The Kremlin’s municipal reform is still creating convulsions in several regions, primarily in Siberia and the Far East, which highlight some interesting patterns about multi-level governance. Meanwhile, Russia’s new cohort of eccentric governors had a bad month – but this does not mean that they are no longer the image of the future. More on this below and an assortment of other regional news from the past weeks.

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On regional finances and others

Posted on October 2, 2025 by

As discussion starts about Russia’s 2026 federal budget, it is worth taking a look at the state of regional finances and where they are trending as Russia is headed either towards a prolonged war or an uneasy peace. Apart from this, read some notes on internet outages, fertility figures, utilities and the municipal reform.

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