• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Andrew S. Weiss"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Inside Russia"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Are Russian Protests a Threat to Putin?

While disruptive, the recent political protests are unlikely to immediately destabilize the regime.

Link Copied
By Andrew S. Weiss
Published on Jun 12, 2017

Source: KCRW’s To the Point

Monday, June 12 marked one of Russia’s most extensive days of political protest in recent history. Police in 200 cities were out in force and at least 700 protesters have been arrested so far. Demonstrators also had to share the streets with people colorfully dressed in historical costumes for a Russian holiday. Carnegie’s Andrew Weiss explained that, while disruptive, the protests are unlikely to immediately destabilize the regime:

“There are a lot of young people who are no longer tuning into state television who get their news through their mobile devices and social media, and there’s a sort of irreverence that comes through in these demonstrations. . . . But broadly speaking, the Russian elite are consolidated at the moment. They’ve rallied around the flag in the wake of the war in Crimea and tensions with the United States. Typically in Russia, problems emerge when the elite is disunified and we just haven’t seen that yet.”

This segment originally appeared on KCRW’s To The Point.

About the Author

Andrew S. Weiss

James Family Chair, Vice President for Studies

Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research on Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. His graphic novel biography of Vladimir Putin, Accidental Czar: the Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin, was published by First Second/Macmillan in 2022.

    Recent Work

  • Q&A
    Is the Russia-Ukraine War Vibe Shift Real?

      Dara Massicot, Aaron David Miller, Andrew S. Weiss

  • Research
    Russia in Africa: Examining Moscow’s Influence and Its Limits
      • Nate Reynolds
      • +11

      Frances Z. Brown, Nate Reynolds, Priyal Singh, …

Andrew S. Weiss
James Family Chair, Vice President for Studies
Andrew S. Weiss
Political ReformDemocracyRussia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    A New Dawn for Democracy in Serbia

    Excitement is in the air following Aleksandar Vučić’s defeat in Serbia. To build a truly democratic state, the movement that unseated the former president must learn from the mistakes of the past.

      Ivan Vejvoda

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europe Needs its own Sanctions-Enforcement Muscle

    The EU can impose sanctions but struggles to enforce them without the United States. With Washington increasingly disinterested in backing European interests, the bloc must now fend for itself.

      Nicu Popescu, Tiago Antunes

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Containing Escalation in the Black Sea

    Russia is testing the waters of NATO’s mutual defense clause. What do strikes in Romanian territorial waters mean for the alliance’s posture toward Moscow?

      Dimitar Bechev

  • The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order
    Book
    The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order

    Europe is facing rising populism internally as well as external pressures from Russia, China, Turkey, and the United States.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • European Union EU democracy Parliament citizens assembly
    Article
    Europe’s Tide of Citizen Assemblies: Unsung Success or Anticlimax?

    A notable degree of participative democracy has firmly arrived in Europe. But to have more far-reaching impact, democratic deliberation needs to move into a radically new phase.

      Richard Youngs

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.