Kennan Institute

Hindsight Up Front | Ukraine

Life under Russian Occupation: A Conversation with Katerina Sergatskova

Kennan Cable No. 79: Russia is Looting Ukraine’s Breadbasket…Again

Gorbachev Retrospective

Mikhail Gorbachev, the final General Secretary of the Soviet Union and its only president, passed away on August 30, 2022, at the age of 91. Kennan scholars and alumni remember his complicated legacy as the figure at the center of the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

The Successor: The Story of Boris Nemtsov and the Country Where He Didn’t Become President - Part 2

KennanX Episode 22: Russia's New Expats pt. 2

Ukraine Quarterly Digest: April–June 2022

The Successor: The Story of Boris Nemtsov and the Country Where He Didn’t Become President - Part 1

Kennan Xplainer: Russia & Venezuela, The Ties that Bind

Kennan Cable No. 78: War and Sovereignty: Lessons from Putin’s War for the South Caucasus

KennanX Episode 21: Russia's New Expats

U.S.-Kazakhstan Relations at 30: Eurasian Security & Prosperity

Crumbling Memory: Russian Propaganda, World War II, and the Invasion of Ukraine

The Kennan Institute Proudly Announces Awarded Grants for Ukrainian Scholars and Practitioners

Kennan Cable No. 77: Pleading for Peace: Collective Letters from Russia

The Ingush Case: The Society and the Authority | A discussion with Galina Starovoitova Fellow Zarina Sautieva

Kennan Cable No. 76: From Historical Fallacy to Tragic, Criminal Loss: Putin’s Case for Invading Ukraine

The Russian Way in War: A Conversation with George F. Kennan Fellow Andrew Monaghan

Kennan Cable No. 75: Victory, Defeat, and Russian Ways in War

Understanding the Turmoil in Kazakhstan | Kennan Institute Expert Analysis

Wilson Center Statement on Memorial International

Kennan Scholar Spotlight: Soviet Myths and Historical Memory

Jonathan Brunstedt discusses his Wilson Center project, “Entangled Defeats: The Soviet-Afghan War and the Shadow of Vietnam" and highlights his most recent book, “The Soviet Myth of World War II: Patriotic Memory and the Russian Question in the USSR."

Kennan Cable No. 73: Infrastructure in Russia’s Arctic: Environmental Impact and Considerations

The Kennan Institute's Solzhenitsyn Initiative

The Kennan Institute expresses deep condolences to the families of the victims of the mass shooting at Perm State University

The Biden-Putin Summit | An Expert Analysis

Rule of Silence

We recently conducted a series of interviews with Russian lawyers, journalists, and other experts on new additions to the foreign agents law in the country and about Russian information politics. This series is part of a collaboration between the Kennan Institute and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Check out the interviews and related articles below!

From "The Ukraine" to Ukraine: A Contemporary History

The Kennan Institute is pleased to announce a new book titled From "The Ukraine" to Ukraine: A Contemporary History, which was inspired by the research and discussions of Ukrainian, American, and international scholars who have worked at the Kennan Institute over the past twenty years.

Kennan Cable No. 67: Professionalism and Politics in the Russian Military

The Russian Military Buildup on Ukraine's Border | An Expert Analysis

Over the past few weeks, Russia has amassed a large number of troops and military assets in Crimea and at the Ukrainian border.

The Ambassadorial Series

At a time when dialogue between American and Russian diplomats is reduced to a bare minimum and when empathy and civility fall short of diplomacy between major powers, we are pleased to introduce the Ambassadorial Series. It is a compilation of conversations with eight outstanding American diplomats who served at various points of time as U.S. ambassadors to the Soviet Union and, after its dissolution, to the Russian Federation. This series was produced by the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Russian Women in Science and Technology: Five Conversations

February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science that was established by the United Nations to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. To mark this day and to celebrate the contribution of Russian female scholars into the global advancement of scientific knowledge, the Kennan Institute interviewed five inspiring Russian experts from a range of specialties, from tech to microbiology to physics, to discuss their careers, the challenges and opportunities in their line of work, and their own sources of inspiration. Interviews were conducted via email by Nina Rozhanovskaya and Victoria Pardini.

Kennan Cable No. 65: Constitutional Crisis in Ukraine: Looking for Solutions

The Status of Women in Russian Society | Conference Report

The Kennan Institute Honors Black History Month 2022

In honor of Black History Month 2022, throughout the month of February the Kennan Institute will be sharing research, events, interviews, and blog posts that amplify the voices and experiences of African Americans, Africans, and Black people more broadly within the context of both Soviet history and contemporary US-Russia relations. We will highlight black voices and research in the Soviet and Post-Soviet space throughout this month and beyond. Promoting these usually under-recognized experiences is essential to our mission of improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, and the wider Eurasia region.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: Title VIII Short Term Grant and George F. Kennan Grant Due September 30

Alexei Navalny's Arrest Sparks Nationwide Protests | An Expert Analysis

Kennan Cable No. 62: Moldova’s Presidential Election: A Real Turning Point?

U.S.-Russia Relations under the Biden Administration | An Expert Analysis

Kennan Cable No. 61: Russia in the Changing Post-Soviet Space

Wilson Center Publication Featured in American Foreign Service Association's (AFSA) Recommended List

Kennan Cable No. 59: Russia’s Parenting Boom Reveals Signs of Social Change

Kennan Institute Scholar Spotlights

Throughout the year, the Kennan Institute hosts a variety of scholars who conduct research on Russia, Ukraine, and the region. Browse through our collection of Scholar Spotlight interviews , learn more about their research, and find out more about what brought them to the Woodrow Wilson Center.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict | An Expert Analysis

Remembering the Gulag: Who Will Write Its History?

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW former Title VIII Research Scholar Tyler Kirk discusses his Wilson Center project “Remembering the GULAG: Community, Identity and Cultural Memory in Russia's Far North, 1987-2018.”

Kennan Cable No. 58: Israeli Reactions in a Soviet Moment: Reflections on the 1970 Leningrad Affair

Kennan Cable No. 57: Rethinking U.S. Policy for Russia – and for Russia’s Neighborhood

The Belarus Election and its Aftermath | An Expert Analysis

U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Germany | An Expert Analysis

Kennan Cable No. 56: No Great Game: Central Asia’s Public Opinions on Russia, China, and the U.S.

Kennan Cable No. 55: Winning the Referendum and Losing Legitimacy in Putin's Russia

Debrief | Russia's 2020 Constitutional Amendments

In January 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted draft amendments to the Russian State Duma. Among several proposed reforms, one amendment could allow Putin to stay in power for two additional terms, until 2036. Russian citizens will vote on the amendment in a nationwide plebiscite on July 1. Below, we are proud to highlight analysis, video projects, and events by our experts on the referendum.

Russian Bounties in Afghanistan | An Expert Analysis

Is There Really a “Putin Generation?”

COVID-19: News and Analysis on Russia and Eurasia

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe, the Kennan Institute will continue to provide analysis from the region and virtual events about its impact in Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.

Kennan Cable No. 53: Russia’s “Traditional Values” and Domestic Violence

Kennan Cable No. 52: In Russia’s Shadow: China’s Rising Security Presence in Central Asia

Kennan Cable No. 51: A Rising Global Player: Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy in the 2020s

Kennan Cable No. 50: Arms Control in the COVID-19 Era: No Next Step without New START

American Visitors to Baku at the Dawn of the Cold War, August-September 1945

Numerous American public organizations and Congressional delegations came to Baku immediately after World War II, a sign that the U.S. was initially intent on cooperating with the USSR in the post-war period, writes Jamil Hasanli.

The Russia File Podcast

The Russia File podcast is a companion production of the Kennan Institute's Russia File blog. The podcast explores Russia: its history, politics, culture and society, and its relations with the surrounding countries, the United States and beyond. The podcast is hosted by Izabella Tabarovsky, Maxim Trudolyubov and other members of the Kennan staff.

The Putin Constitution

“Blacks, Reds, and Russians:” An Interview with Joy Carew

To continue with our Black History Month effort, we recently interviewed Professor Joy Carew of the University of Louisville about her research on the history and experiences of black people in the USSR and Russia.

"We Must Not Be Silent:" A Conversation with Starovoitova Fellow Olimpiada Usanova about Gender Discrimination in Russia and the United States

Olimpiada Usanova was a Galina Starovoitova Fellow at the Kennan Institute. We spoke to her about her research on gender discrimination in Russia.

Kennan Cable No. 48: Trade or Blockade? Economic Relations with Uncontrolled Territories in Moldova and Ukraine

Kennan Cable No. 47: Moscow’s Limited Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa

Ukraine’s Democratic Leakocracy

Ukrainian politics have been overtaken by information wars. These wars undermine two things vital to liberal democracy: citizens’ control of government and the transparency of authorities’ actions.