The Transformation of Russia’s Political Regime

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable will feature four leading thinkers offering different perspectives on the transformation of Russia’s political system in the three and a half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine based on original research. Maria Lipman, chief editor of Russia.Post, which connects academic writers to a broader audience interested in deep analysis of Russia, will discuss changes in the regime’s ideology and how it characterizes the role of society (or the lack thereof) in the war and politics more generally. Ella Paneyakh, an authoritative expert on Russian society, will comment on major changes in Russian society resulting from the war. Nikolay Petrov, long a top analyst of Russian politics, will offer a political geographer’s insights, examining data on how Russia’s political elite has changed in composition and behavior as a result of (or on the pretext of) the war. And Henry Hale, who has conducted surveys of Russian public opinion for over two decades, will discuss changes in Russian public opinion on the war, Vladimir Putin, and the West based on data already collected through 2024 and (if current plans hold) in 2025 as well. All four panelists will reflect on what trends to this point augur for the future, including a future that could (from the perspective of February 2024) come to include a ceasefire that de facto leaves Russia with territorial gains at Ukraine’s expense and with the support of the American administration.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Henry E. Hale, George Washington U

Roundtable Speakers

• Henry E. Hale, George Washington U

• Maria Lipman, George Washington U

• Ella Paneyakh, New Eurasian Strategies Centre (UK)

• Nikolai Petrov, NEST