Special Reports provide in-depth analysis on a particular topic or issue and provide policy recommendations.


 

Synchronized: The Impact of the War on Ukraine’s Energy Landscape

This report takes a three-step approach to analyzing the consequences of the war on the Ukrainian energy landscape and its international ramifications....

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Russian Military Drones: Past, Present, and Future of the UAV Industry

  Introduction Since 2009, Russia has invested significant effort into developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, for military purposes. They have used drones for reconnaissance, targeting, electronic warfare, and direct strikes. Some of these UAVs have been used...

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The Dragon and the Bear in Africa: Stress-Testing Chinese-Russian Relations

  Introduction This report is based on a chapter of my forthcoming book on the relationship between China and Russia. For the US, this is arguably the most important bilateral relationship in the world today. A robust, resilient partnership...

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Takeaways from Russia’s Regional and Municipal Elections

Introduction The 2023 regional and municipal elections held in Russia on September 8–10 were notable because of their timing. A year and a half into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, domestic political actors—from political and business elites to voters—seem...

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The Frontline States: Conversations and Observations About Russia’s Other War in Europe

  All Soviet efforts…will be negative and destructive in character, designed to tear down sources of strength beyond reach of Soviet control. This is only in line with basic Soviet instinct that there can be no compromise with rival...

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Nuclear Stability and Escalation Risks in Europe

  Introduction The security situation in Europe has changed dramatically following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons if the conflict were to escalate. The Foreign Policy Research Institute convened a Track...

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Fighting to Win: Ukraine, Russia, and the War for Survival

  Download PDF Introduction  I arrived in Kyiv this July after a thirteen-hour overnight train ride in a clean but austere Soviet-era railway car. Since I couldn’t purchase a return ticket in Poland, immediately upon arrival at the train...

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Russia’s Nuclear Policy After Ukraine

  Introduction The recent mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary force, generated international concern about the control of Russian nuclear weapons and Russia’s future nuclear policy. Therefore we must ask, will Russia change its nuclear policy...

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Changing Tides in the Black Sea Region: Conference Report

  The following is an edited transcript of a live recording of FPRI’s Chain Reaction podcast from the Changing Tides in the Black Sea conference, June 29, 2023. Listen to the recording here.  Recordings of all six panel discussions...

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Russia’s War in Ukraine: Critical Vulnerabilities to Russia’s Military Operations and Systems

  Key Takeaways Some of the critical vulnerabilities to Russia’s military operations and systems—revealed during the war in Ukraine—are due to its military culture and poor strategic choices at the beginning of the war including overly ambitious strategic aims....

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