... of whether Russia survives the turning point—will it keep the economy from collapsing against the backdrop of unprecedented sanctions, will it conduct large-scale military operations that are incapable of gaining the support of both the elites and society at large? Last year ended with unanswered answers to these questions; 2023 added certainty. The turning point is behind us, Russia is living with its new conditions of confrontation and is coping with them. Russian politics has moved from crisis ...
... the sanctions or substitute for the absence of Western products and technologies, but is beginning to transform itself away from being the world’s gas station that Russia has come to be known for in the wake of the Soviet Union’s demise. Russian society, which had become increasingly atomized as few made instant fortunes, is now relearning solidarity and finding a common cause through volunteer work. In terms of values, patriotism—reviled and scorned in the immediate post-Soviet period—now ...
... gender, age, and regional identity. One of the major surprises was the perception of the ‘Russian Dream’ as most desirable regardless of demographic, political and regional cleavages. A liberal alternative turned out to be the most favourable in a society which is generally thought to be
illiberal
in character. However, all groups thought this scenario to be the least probable. ‘Kremlin’s Gambit’ came second in terms of desirability and first in terms of probability. The ‘Russian Mosaic’ ...
