Katie Marie Davies
Articles
Partners, not allies: What to expect from Russia-Iran agreement set to be signed on Jan. 17
For Moscow, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Russia on Jan. 17 is a diplomatic victory. The trip's centerpiece will be the finalization of a long-heralded partnership deal between Russia and Iran, signed by Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The agreement is the latest chapter in
Russia buys acceptance with cash, plunging economy into uncertainty
For Russia's military recruiters, money talks. In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled the federal signing-on bonus for contract soldiers to 400,000 rubles ($3,850) — over five times the country's average monthly wage. Regional governments are expected to top this up further, although the exact amount differs in each
Despite popular uprising, Kremlin's grip on occupied Abkhazia runs supreme
When local council members gathered in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia last week to discuss new measures promoting Russian investment, a group of protestors rose to meet them. The proposed legislation, which would have legalized Russian investment and land ownership in the occupied region, had already sparked unrest. On
Kremlin finds new enemies to target — Russians without kids
More than a decade since Russian lawmakers banned "LGBTQ+ propaganda," the Kremlin's self-declared crusade for "traditional values" has found a new target — Russians who don't want children. On Nov. 12, the Russian State Duma voted to outlaw the support and promotion of "childfree propaganda," effectively imposing fines on those who
Who is Sergei Kiriyenko, Russian hawk reportedly in touch with Elon Musk?
Late last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk, the U.S.-based oligarch with extensive influence on American politics, had been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. The revelation came weeks after reports that similar calls were potentially made by former U.
Torn apart by infighting, without a plan, what comes next for Russia’s opposition?
When Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024, the country’s liberal dissidents vowed to carry on their mission: to end the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Eight months on, however, and Russia’s opposition is bitterly divided, with little to no
Putin lands in North Korea looking for support, weapons, validation
Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Pyongyang on June 18 for the first time in 24 years. Greeted by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at the runway and passing by a city saturated with Russian flags and giant portraits of the Russian leader, Putin looked happy – he was visiting
Russia’s highly-militarized Victory Day celebration has nothing to do with WWII
The legacy of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany feeds pro-war aggression in Putin’s Russia — and is celebrated with a religious fervor. When Russian President Vladimir Putin swept into power in 2000, he faced a divided land. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the economic downturn that followed left
Is Chechnya preparing for Kadyrov's demise — and what could come next?
New reporting has put the Chechen warlord's health in the headlines once more. But there are other, subtler, signs that the republic might be preparing for a regime change. Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov is used to speculation about his imminent demise. Pundits have discussed the 47-year-old's failing health since September
In Putin’s Russia, state violence is on full display
When the men accused of committing last week's terrorist attack in Moscow appeared in front of a Russian court, their battered faces told a story of physical torture. The four men — who stand accused of opening fire on crowds at Moscow's Crocus City Hall on March 22, killing at least
Whether afraid or indifferent, regular Russians enable autocracy
For global audiences watching Moscow’s tightly-choreographed “election-style event” this weekend, Russia appears to be a country transformed – a militarized society where dissent is simply no longer tolerated. But the truth is that in the two years since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for the majority, life
Russia’s descent into totalitarianism: How it happened
It is difficult to pin down the exact moment that Russia began morphing into a totalitarian state. For over a decade, the Kremlin was taking away civil liberties and feeding the population a revamped and increasingly more aggressive version of nationalism. For nearly a decade, most Russians didn't seem to
Russian banks post record profits. Is war helping them?
2022 heralded a new era for Russia’s banks. Increasingly isolated from the global economy and laden with heavy Western sanctions, the sector saw profits fall by 90 percent compared to 2021. For Russia’s technocrats, the future seemed dim. Then came 2023. Russia’s Central Bank announced last week
Why ideology still matters for an expanding BRICS
For Argentina's newly-elected president, Javier Milei, ideology is the beating heart of politics. The economist, TV show personality, and self-professed anarcho-capitalist built his campaign on passionate support for a hands-off government and free market principles. His forthright approach also encompasses foreign policy. In the last weeks of 2023, Milei decided
Kyrgyzstan's trade is booming as Russia masters sanctions circumvention
In March 2022, Kyrgyzstan's economy began to change. Imports from long-term trade partners started to steadily rise, with imports from China almost tripling. The shift was even more noticeable for countries that previously had few business ties to Bishkek. A sudden rush of goods appeared from across the European Union,
As sanctions bite, Russia eyes Ukraine’s mineral resources to fund its invasion
Russia's 2024 federal budget brought little in the way of surprises, the country is gearing up for a long war. Signed by President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, it ushered record levels of military spending — a sign of Moscow's commitment to its war against Ukraine. While part of the Russian
Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides
On the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Kazakhstan on Nov. 9 exuded an air of business as usual. The Russian leader was met at dawn on the tarmac of Astana airport by Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before being greeted by an official guard of honor. The trip coincided
How Russia’s liberal tech companies became the foundation of Putin’s war effort
Fridays at Russian tech giant Yandex — the company once christened as "Russia's Google" — are marked by a large-scale all-hands meeting where employees can bring questions and problems to the company's upper management. Called khural, among the company's employees, a name for Mongolian parliament, the values behind it are usually associated
Russia, China and North Korea have new dynamics. And it’s bad for Ukraine
The White House announced on Oct. 13 that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to bolster Russia's war against Ukraine. Washington published pictures tracking a set of containers as it traveled from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia, by a Russian-flagged vessel.
Kyiv, Moscow's opposing attitudes toward Soviet past shape two different futures
For Kyiv's Motherland monument, 2023 marks an era of rebirth. In late July, the national landmark saw the Soviet hammer and sickle that once adorned its shield replaced with the tryzub, the Ukrainian trident. The rejuvenated monument was officially unveiled on Aug. 24, Ukrainian Independence Day. The decision to remove
Can Russia afford to commit to a years-long war?
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an all-out war against Ukraine, U.S. intelligence claimed that Russian forces planned to sweep Kyiv within days. More than 13 months on, Ukraine's defenses still stand firm. But Ukrainians are now faced with a different threat – the Kremlin appears to be trying to
Where is Russia’s anti-war opposition?
For many Ukrainians, watching queues of conscription-age Russians fleeing the specter of mobilization has proven bittersweet. Each body that crosses the border into Kazakhstan, Armenia, or Georgia is one less soldier to occupy Ukrainian soil. But why have the same crowds failed to appear at anti-war protests in a bid
Behind the smoke and mirrors of Russia’s resilient wartime economy
Russia is officially the world's most sanctioned country, but the Kremlin doesn't seem to care. Since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, trade bans from the European Union and the United States have seen imports grind to a halt. Meanwhile, hundreds of international companies have fled the
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