Tag Archives: economy

Bumps ahead

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

2013 was clearly the year of Vladimir Putin. After an embarrassing 2011 and a whacky 2012, the Russian president solidified his grip on the domestic political realm, tightened the screws so efficiently that by the end of the year he … Continue reading →

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Reset or upgrade?

Posted on March 1, 2013 by

Last week, the Minchenko Consulting published its newest report on the dynamics of the so-called Politburo 2.0 – a circle of influential politicians and businessman that make up the informal decision-making body around the President. The report, which is a … Continue reading →

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2012: not quite there yet

Posted on December 31, 2012 by

Many things that prominent Russia-watchers had expected didn’t happen in 2012. Most notably, the new opposition didn’t achieve a breakthrough in the regions, neither was Dmitry Medvedev dismissed, although in September these seemed all but imminent. Also, Vladimir Putin’s rating … Continue reading →

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Rearranging that team photo

Posted on August 23, 2012 by

Russian media served a delicious treat to Kremlin-watchers last week. The Minchenko Consulting Group published a report on the “Politburo 2.0”, trying to decipher and to put into context the new setup of the “collective Putin” after the March presidential … Continue reading →

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Pussy Riot as a symptom – Part 2

Posted on August 21, 2012 by

In the first part of this post I was trying to point out some of the more immediate political consequences of the Pussy Riot sentence. I joined the interesting discussion started on Mark Galeotti’s blog, In Moscow’s Shadows, an exchange … Continue reading →

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Between a cucumber and a hard place

Posted on July 19, 2012 by

As the so-called „cucumber season”, or summer political recess is looming upon us, it is appropriate to do a quick recap on where exactly the political situation in Russia is standing for the moment. I quite agree with Brian Whitmore … Continue reading →

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Old habits die hard

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

The first few weeks of Dmitry Medvedev’s government under President Putin have more or less matched expectations. As I have blogged before, the new cabinet is designed to be either the engine of further reforms and a preparation for a … Continue reading →

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