The 2026 State Duma elections: what’s new, and what to expect next. Don't miss the latest Carnegie Politika podcast episode with @alexgabuev.bsky.social and Farida Rustamova.

For every ruble allocated to social policy, health, and education in 2027, double that amount is earmarked for the army, the police, and the security services, writes Alexandra Prokopenko.

"If the Russian-speaking community in Latvia cannot articulate their interests without being seen as disloyal, they could end up embracing a pro-Kremlin agenda." Read Sergejs Potapkins's analysis here.

Blurring the line between humans and animals is a long-standing tradition in social utopian prose. In his latest novel, Leonid Bershidsky reminds us that in social experiments, people are often treated no differently than animals, writes Alexander Baunov.

In the tenth year of his presidency, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s system is becoming even more personalized than that of his predecessor Islam Karimov, argues Galiya Ibragimova.

"Russia’s depleted financial reserves and a shrinking tax base mean it is no longer possible to simultaneously deliver high defense spending, price stability, and economic growth." Read Alexandra Prokopenko's new text here.

The war in Ukraine and a change in ownership led the Russian internet giant VK to neglect its commercial ventures in favor of implementing the Kremlin’s online agenda. Now it’s facing its most serious crisis yet, writes Maria Kolomychenko.

Don't miss the latest Carnegie Politika podcast episode on the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek and how member states use the organization to pursue their policy objectives. With @alexgabuev.bsky.social, Eva Seiwert, and @tumarov.bsky.social.

"With the growth in points of friction between the great powers, organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will continue to play a role in the strategic adaptation of the smaller powers caught between them," writes @tumarov.bsky.social.

With his public call for new elections in Ukraine, ex-defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov has opened Pandora’s box, writes Konstantin Skorkin.

"The greater threat to Zelensky comes not from Fedorov alone, but from the convergence between his political campaign and the corruption investigations moving ever closer to Ukraine’s presidential administration." Read Balazs Jarabik's new text here: