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The Kennan Institute is the premier U.S. center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, and the region through research and exchange.
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Call for Applications: Title VIII Research Scholarship and Summer Grant Due January 31, 2021

The Status of Women in Russian Society | Conference Report

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 Kennan Institute is pleased to announce "The Russia File Podcast," a companion production of its 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, hosted by Maxim Trudolyubov and Izabella Tabarovsky.

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.
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