Russia

Since the former Soviet Union began tentative steps toward an open society and market economy in the 1990s, the country has continued shifting sharply against signs of reform under Vladimir Putin’s leadership. What started as a fledgling democracy gradually gave way to an authoritarian system marked by a corrupt oligarchy. CSIS programs research and analyze all aspects of Russia’s domestic politics and foreign policy, from its economic health in a restricted wartime economy to its increasingly revisionist and assertive foreign policy, which continually challenges the post–Cold War international order through military, economic, and political means.

Photo: abcvector, viktoria_ngm, and Peter Hermes Furian via AdobeStock/Leena Marte/CSIS

Photo: abcvector, viktoria_ngm, and Peter Hermes Furian via AdobeStock/Leena Marte/CSIS

Risks of Racing: Russian and Chinese Perceptions of Strategic Competition in the Euro-Atlantic Region

Concerns about an impending arms race hinge on Russian and Chinese perceptions of a potential U.S. and allied nuclear buildup. This report finds that Russian and Chinese threat perception is relatively inelastic due to domestic factors and long-standing distrust. 

Report by CSIS Scholars — August 6, 2026

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Max Bergmann

Max Bergmann

Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center
Seth G. Jones

Seth G. Jones

President, Defense and Security Department; Harold Brown Chair

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Russian Roulette

Where Crises Converge: Russia's Role in the Middle East

Max Bergmann is joined by Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall to map the escalation risks, assess Russia's shifting military and diplomatic footprint in Syria under the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, and parse what a surprise CIA visit to Moscow reveals about where this global realignment is heading.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann — September 11, 2026

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Russian Roulette

Russia's Classrooms Face Putin’s Propaganda Machine

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine.

Podcast Episode by Maria Snegovaya — August 28, 2026

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Russian Roulette

How Ukraine Fights: Reflections from the Front Lines feat. Nate Vance

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance —a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture.

Podcast Episode by Maria Snegovaya — August 14, 2026

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Russian Roulette

Has the War Come Home to Russia?

Max Bergmann speaks with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn about how Russians have reacted to major shocks in recent years and whether current polling truly reflects changing attitudes toward the war.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann, Maria Snegovaya, and Jade McGlynn — July 27, 2026

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China and CRINK: Implications for Japan and the United States

China’s ties with Russia, Iran, and North Korea are deepening, but they do not yet constitute a unified alliance. Chikako Ueki examines how the U.S. and Japan can prepare for emerging security challenges without strengthening the very coalition they seek to counter.

Report by Chikako Kawakatsu Ueki — July 21, 2026

A Tale of Two Strategic Attacks: The Race to End the War in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is now a race between two competing, attritional theories of victory. While Ukraine is focused on maximizing drone production, high payoff deep strikes to hold Russia’s oil and gas, Moscow is trying target critical infrastructure and major political and economic centers like Kyiv to coerce Ukraine.

Commentary by Benjamin Jensen and Yasir Atalan — July 15, 2026