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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.

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By Andrew S. Weiss
Published on Jun 12, 2017
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Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

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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.

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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.

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