The Russian military intelligence organization GRU drew attention to itself in recent years through a series of subversive actions. With varied outcome. This research aims to see how the reforms of...Show moreThe Russian military intelligence organization GRU drew attention to itself in recent years through a series of subversive actions. With varied outcome. This research aims to see how the reforms of the GRU between 2009 and 2011 impacted the use of subversion by the GRU. The hypothesis is that the GRU rediscovered its Soviet roots. Especially considering five key-areas: target, intention, methods, means and allies. The research suggests that the GRU did not change significantly after the fall of the Soviet Union. After the reforms they did, but not towards the Soviet tradition of subversion, but rather in a new direction. The hypothesis therefore is rejected.Show less
Despite the vast amount of scholarly attention, the issue of decapitation has enjoyed, research on decapitation has primarily focused on US and Israeli cases. Nonetheless, decapitation as a...Show moreDespite the vast amount of scholarly attention, the issue of decapitation has enjoyed, research on decapitation has primarily focused on US and Israeli cases. Nonetheless, decapitation as a counterterrorism measure used by the Russian authorities, has been surprisingly under-researched. Hence, this paper aspires to contribute to the academic debate by filling this under-researched gap. Further building onto Morehouse’s work (2014), this paper presents an analysis of the impact of Russian decapitation efforts on the operational effectiveness of Chechen rebel groups for the period between 1995 and 2014. Central themes this study is concerned with involve the question of whether or not decapitation efforts have significantly and consistently reduced the number of casualties and subsequent attacks. This paper found that seen over the whole period of research, the number of casualties and the frequency of the attacks did decrease. Nevertheless, this decrease was accompanied by peaks and throughs, and, therefore, these decreases were not consistent.Show less
This thesis explores the phenomena of cronyism in the Russian Federation. The structure of the thesis is the following: Introduction which defines the goals and objectives of the paper; Literature...Show moreThis thesis explores the phenomena of cronyism in the Russian Federation. The structure of the thesis is the following: Introduction which defines the goals and objectives of the paper; Literature Review which reviews existent scholarly articles on cronyism and cronyism in Russia; Three chapters that examine one of the prominent Russian billionaires, his connections to high ranked government officials and his alleged involvement in cronyistic exchanges; Conclusion with outlined findings and connection to the wider challenges that the world is facing. With the use of the existent theoretical framework on cronyism and triangulation of the available journalistic material, this thesis concludes that it is highly likely that cronyistic exchanges take place in Russia at the highest levels of the executive and legislative branches of the government. Coming to this conclusion is important because it reveals that the actions of the Russian government might not always be motivated by national interests but rather by the interests of certain individuals.Show less
The political history and lived experience of Russians in the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia plausibly constitutes an historic example of civic Othering. The hybrid, multi-layered identities...Show moreThe political history and lived experience of Russians in the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia plausibly constitutes an historic example of civic Othering. The hybrid, multi-layered identities and subjective perceptions of nationality amongst these communities have been covered by academic research. At the same time, Latvia and Estonia have engaged in the political dialogue of ‘Europeanization’ as Member States of the European Union, as part of a top-down process to understand and, at times, promote a common ‘European identity’, which has also been frequent analyzed and discussed in academic literature. While both these aspects of research have been extensive, there has been less contemporary investigation at their crossroads: European identity amongst Russians in Estonia and Latvia. This paper performs a ‘research synthesis’ type of meta-analysis on academic and policy papers to shed light on this potential gap between academic literature and policy research. Its conclusions have implications for researchers and practitioners of both kinds, as well as grounds to consider the gap as a form of ‘methodological Othering’ itself.Show less
In this thesis, it is researched how local initiatives regarding national identity in the city of Lida relate to the official political rhetoric about national identity. The ideas of Belarus as a...Show moreIn this thesis, it is researched how local initiatives regarding national identity in the city of Lida relate to the official political rhetoric about national identity. The ideas of Belarus as a European nation, Belarus as a neutral and self-sufficient nation and Belarus as a geopolitically predetermined nation are used as a framework in which the official political rhetoric and local initiatives in Lida are analysed. The conclusion of the thesis is that there is a discrepancy in Belarusian society regarding the official form of national identity and the local form present in Lida's society.Show less
This research examines whether Russia would rather conduct an offensive or a defensive military action in the Baltic states. In order to examine this, the research employs a combined AHP-SWOT...Show moreThis research examines whether Russia would rather conduct an offensive or a defensive military action in the Baltic states. In order to examine this, the research employs a combined AHP-SWOT analysis. This analysis examines Russia's military capabilities, the operational environment in the Baltic states and the combination of the two.Show less
This thesis seeks to analyse the institutional framework guiding Russia’s growing interest in Arctic development. In particular, the research aimed to answer the question: How much agency do the...Show moreThis thesis seeks to analyse the institutional framework guiding Russia’s growing interest in Arctic development. In particular, the research aimed to answer the question: How much agency do the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have in the socio-economic development of the Arctic? The focus of the research is on transport infrastructure, the reason being that Arctic development hinges on the creation of an effective transport system so that other, more lucrative economic interests can be accessed and exploited. The research engaged with the legislative and strategic documents of both the federal authorities and the regions through a doctrinal analysis of policy mechanisms. The thesis contends that regions do have significant agency in the development of transport infrastructure, in so far as said transport infrastructure forms a part of the Support Zone mechanism. In doing so, the thesis shows that the Arctic regions enjoy the independence necessary to identify areas of economic interest in their regions, formulate a cluster of development projects, implement a corresponding program, and monitor the program’s progress. Additionally, the thesis was able to identify the limits of regional agency, which exist depending on the importance of a given socio-economic development project to the federal authorities. We see this determinant in practice in the hierarchical distinction between the Northern Sea Route and the land-based transport systems (including river and air transport). Due to the geopolitical potential of the Northern Sea Route, it occupies a place of supreme importance in Arctic development, and is therefore governed by the Centre. In contrast, land-based transport systems are principally of national, and economic importance, and thus their development is delegated to the regions.Show less
This analysis seeks to find out whether state support measures have resulted in increased inequality in the Russian agricultural sector in the last 10 years. Based on firm-level data, several...Show moreThis analysis seeks to find out whether state support measures have resulted in increased inequality in the Russian agricultural sector in the last 10 years. Based on firm-level data, several measures of inequality are constructed in section 4. All measures point to an increase in industry concentration, particularly in the livestock subsector. Several factors which may offer possible explanations for this increase are presented in section 3: stakeholders have a preference for larger farms, transaction costs for land and markets were higher for smaller farmers, and agricultural support measures give more support to larger farms. Lastly, the top 5 agroholdings in Russia were described. These holdings had particular advantages: special access to regular state support, excellent access to capital, and alternative state support in quasi-legal ways.Show less
To suppress civil organisations within the Russian Federation, the government is applying a broad range of tools to keep a grip on those CSOs. Those can be classified as government-orientated civil...Show moreTo suppress civil organisations within the Russian Federation, the government is applying a broad range of tools to keep a grip on those CSOs. Those can be classified as government-orientated civil society; media control and discrediting groups, and; vague legal grounds. This also affects the Anti-corruption Foundation (FBK) of Alexey Navalny. To stay active within the tightened public space, FBK is using different strategies in reaction to continue their fight against corruption. Those strategies can be seen in a selection in general in the use of internet campaigning; going to the European Court of Human Rights; smart voting; the populist strategy; connecting high officials with corruption; mass demonstrations, and; active use social media.Show less
At the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise...Show moreAt the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise in oil prices only go so far in its development. However, to gain relevance on the world stage beyond the constant military flexing and being an energy appendage to the upper echelon industrialised countries, it needs to produce marketable technologies and secure a spot among the greatest economies. At the end of the first decade a new paradigm in the way we transact information found prominence in the minds of the tech savvy, which turned into the explosive development of the Blockchain technology. This potentially revolutionary new technology has the characteristics to alter the social fabric in which old power structures become obsolete, but at the same time provide a golden opportunity for the relative young and unbound Russian IT sector to thrive and leave a global mark. The new generation technocrats plead for full scale adoption, regulation and development of this technology, but their older and politically more powerful Soviet rooted counter parts plead against the dangers of this shift in dynamics. In this work I looked at what the blockchain technology means for Russia and how the Russian authorities took a stance in adapting the technology.Show less
The present thesis addresses the local memory of the 2nd of May events in Odesa, Ukraine, a culmination of fights between supporters and opponents of the Maidan government that obtained power in...Show moreThe present thesis addresses the local memory of the 2nd of May events in Odesa, Ukraine, a culmination of fights between supporters and opponents of the Maidan government that obtained power in February 2014. The respective street clashes in Odesa killed six individuals, while 42 lost their lives in a fire in the Trade Union Building. At the surface, these clashes were a contraposition between groupings favoring a Ukrainian nationalistic vector and their opponents desiring pro-Russian policies. However, the local element of these clashes seems to transcend this binary approach. Situated in memory theory, the present thesis addresses the way the memory of these events among Odesans fits into the spectrum spanned by a pro-Ukrainian and a pro-Russian frame of interpreting history. Through a month of field work, during which 41 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Odesans, the thesis answers the central research question: “How do individual and collective memory regarding the 2nd of May events in Odesa interact?”. The thesis identifies four narratives regarding the 2nd of May events: a pro-Ukrainian, an ‘old-Odesan’, an apolitical, and a pro-Russian narrative. Analysis of these narratives provides the following conclusions. Firstly, the use of history as an argument to explain for the present varied widely. Some built their perception of the present events on analogies to events dating to World War II, while others situate their memory more in relation to contemporary events. Secondly, the absence of an authoritative source of information regarding the 2nd of May events is identified, leading to a construction of the interviewees’ memory on personal accounts and hearsays from others. This has resulted in wildly divergent accounts and theories of what happened on the respective day. Thirdly, the specific character of the 2nd of May events, which consisted of two largely disjunct sets of events, is argued to facilitate the inclusion of narratives regarding these events into coherent storylines for both conflicting sides. Fourthly, the different layers of identification that are expressed through the different narratives are analyzed. It is argued that shared belief systems account for shared memories in a more overarching way than membership of specific social groups does. The negotiation of the city of Odesa throughout the different narratives is analyzed in a closing argument.Show less
The main finding of this master thesis is that Russian state-controlled media communicated Russia’s 2018 pension reform through a pattern of media frames aimed to explain the reform as the only...Show moreThe main finding of this master thesis is that Russian state-controlled media communicated Russia’s 2018 pension reform through a pattern of media frames aimed to explain the reform as the only reasonable solution to a problem. This thesis has used three framing analysis theories that highlight from different perspectives how the 2018 pension reform was framed on Perviy Kanal, the largest Russian news channel. The first chapter of this thesis is a literature review of (media) framing research. Framing research is a popular and multifaceted topic in the field of (political) communication. A preliminary concept of framing could refer to how media uses selection and salience to influence human consciousness and shape public opinion (Entman, 1993, 2004). The second chapter elaborates on the contemporary mass media environment in Russia and specifically focusses on framing in Russian mass media. The last chapter discusses the results of this thesis’ empirical research based on the concept of media framing and against the background of earlier research about how mass media is employed in Russia. The primary research discusses Russian news broadcasting reports that cover topics on, or related to, the pension reform in Russia from 14 June 2018 until 14 January 2019.Show less
This MA thesis is a research into the origins, structure and patronage of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. In this MA thesis, five terms are being...Show moreThis MA thesis is a research into the origins, structure and patronage of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. In this MA thesis, five terms are being researched to see whether or not they are applicable to the People's Republics in the Donbas. These terms are puppet state, protectorate, client state, associated state and vassal state. The conclusion of this MA thesis is that the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic can be considered both Russian puppet states as well as Russian protectorates.Show less
De impact van sociale media op politiek is een onderwerp van discussie in wetenschappelijke kringen. Vanuit diverse hoeken wordt het hedendaagse fenomeen bestudeerd, waaruit blijkt dat landelijke...Show moreDe impact van sociale media op politiek is een onderwerp van discussie in wetenschappelijke kringen. Vanuit diverse hoeken wordt het hedendaagse fenomeen bestudeerd, waaruit blijkt dat landelijke en regionale contexten vaak een cruciale rol spelen. Dat geldt net zo zeer voor Rusland, dat opgedeeld is in 85 federale subjecten. Elk van die subjecten wordt bestuurd door een gouverneur, die de hoogste positie bekleedt binnen de regionale uitvoerende macht. Over deze groep politici en haar impact op regionale politiek is veel wetenschappelijke literatuur gepubliceerd. Gouverneurs zijn de gezichten van de regio’s, een van de redenen dat zij op sociale media soms gevolgd worden door wel honderdduizenden mediagebruikers. Hun rol binnen de regionale politiek is een veelbesproken thema, maar wat zegt het sociale mediagebruik van deze gouverneurs eigenlijk over Ruslands regionale politiek? Dat is de onderzoeksvraag voor deze studie. Daarbij is gelet op verschillende groepen gouverneurs: leiders van republieken tegenover andere regio’s, insiders tegenover outsiders, en gouverneurs van verschillende generaties. De data van dit onderzoek wijzen uit dat voor de gouverneurs van republieken en de generatieverschillen de meest heldere karakteristieken in sociale mediagebruik te onderscheiden zijn. Het gebruik onthult in zekere zin aspecten van de regionale politiek en van verhoudingen tussen gouverneurs en Moskou.Show less
