The Udmurt Experiment in Russia

The government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile was established in 2007, after Doku Umarov, the last president of Ichkeria and a supporter of Wahhabism, announced the dissolution of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the establishment of the Caucasus Emirate in its place, with Chechnya designated as the “Vilayat Nokhchicho.” This followed the final defeat of Chechen armed formations by the Russian Army. Akhmed Zakayev, who at the time served as foreign minister of the unrecognized republic, emerged as the leader of Chechen politicians who opposed this decision.

Israel, Russia, and the German Far-Right

In 2026, state elections were scheduled in five German federal states. Germany’s centrist forces are coming under increasing pressure due to the electoral successes of the far right and the far left. The Kremlin welcomed these electoral successes of Germany’s political fringes.

Central Asia Leaves Russia’s Orbit and Becomes a Focus of American Strategy

Russia no longer sets the terms. What remains of its position, including the reliance of Central Asian exporters on Russian rail and Kazatomprom’s 25 percent share in Russia’s Novouralsk enrichment plant, consists of vestiges of a past influence. Whether Washington can match its announcements with finished mines, refineries, and railways will decide how durable its new position proves, and the outcome will be settled between American and Chinese capital, with Moscow watching from the sidelines.

“Perished Civilization”: A Historical Investigation That Offers a New Perspective on the Caucasus

In September 2026, the book “Znykla tsyvilizatsiia — nepomichena katastrofa” (Perished Civilization — An Overlooked Catastrophe) by a Ukrainian historian writing under the pseudonym Kuzari was published in Ukraine by the Kyiv-based publishing house Zaliznyi Tato. The publication of this book is noteworthy not only for its subject matter but also for the circumstances surrounding its release. The Ukrainian researcher addresses one of the most painful and politically sensitive chapters in the history of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, proposing that it be examined within the broader context of Moscow's centuries-long expansion. At the same time, the author conceals his identity, uses an unusual philosophical pseudonym, and bases his research on an extensive body of historical documents and testimonies.

The Kremlin Stays Silent: Russia’s Neighbors Are Building a Region Without It

On October 2, Ilham Aliyev told the congress of his ruling New Azerbaijan Party in Baku that the world has two superpowers and “there is no third.” Russia went unnamed. Six days later, the presidents of Central Asia and Azerbaijan met at the Turkmen Caspian resort of Avaza to take up trade, energy, transport and regional security. No Russian leader was among the attendees.

Minority Voters in Latvia’s 2026 Election

The 2026 Saeima election again offered Latvia’s Russophone electorate several distinct political choices. Sovereign Power/Young Latvians (SV/AJ) received 11.71% of the national vote, while Latvia First (LPV) secured 13.08%. For Stability! fell to 1.997%, and the renewed Harmony Centre got only 0.82%. LTV’s post-election analysis identified LPV and SV/AJ as the two main choices among Russian-speaking voters.

Intra-Elite Outcomes of the Formation of a New Composition and Leadership of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Following the 2026 Elections

The formation of the State Duma of the ninth convocation following the elections of September 18–20, 2026, was accompanied not only by an updating of the personal composition of the chamber, but also by a redistribution of leadership positions within parliamentary factions, committees, and standing commissions. The assessments presented in analytical materials permit examination of this process through several interrelated aspects: the correlation of party forces, continuity of leadership, personnel movements, changes in the organizational structure of committees, and mechanisms for coordinating key appointments.

TRIPP for Central Asia — Tempting, but Fraught

The government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stepped up efforts to involve Central Asian countries in the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP). Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have expressed cautious interest in the project. TRIPP is a 43-kilometer transport corridor that will run through Armenian territory along the Iranian border and connect the two parts of Azerbaijan. The corridor is expected to include roads and railways, pipelines, power transmission lines, and fiber-optic cables.

On the Potential of the Kazakh Irredenta in the Russian Federation

Kazakhstan is the second-largest state by area (after the Russian Federation) to have emerged as a result of the collapse of the USSR. At the time it gained independence, it was also the only post-Soviet state in which the titular nation constituted a minority. As a result of the large-scale colonization of its territory by non-indigenous populations, predominantly Russians, under the Russian Empire and subsequently the USSR, the share of Kazakhs declined from 81.8% to 30% between the censuses of 1897 and 1959.

Written Sovereignty: Turkey, Russia, and Iran in the Battle Over Post-Soviet Scripts

Script is rarely a neutral technical choice in this region. Which alphabet a state teaches its children is a declared vector of civilizational allegiance — a public signal of which power it expects to matter for its future. This is what "written sovereignty" means in practice: not legal independence, but the ongoing, contested right to decide whose cultural gravity a nation writes itself into. Three powers are currently making competing claims on that gravity in the post-Soviet Turkic and Persianate world — Turkey, Russia, and Iran — and they are not equally equipped to press the claim.