The Reality of Russian Politics

Welcome

R. Politik is an independent analysis project on contemporary Russian politics.

Our mission is to explain Russian politics to an international English-language audience who are in need of neutral, in-depth, and well-informed analyses of one of the world’s biggest and most important countries. Whether you are an analyst, academic, diplomat or executive, we want R.Politik to be your essential guide to navigating Russia’s business and political environments. With no ties to the Russian government, our reliable, source-based insights strive to shed new light on all aspects of domestic and foreign policy — from Kremlin infighting, power games in Syria, Africa or Ukraine, or complex patronage networks inside the country.

Tatiana Stanovaya

What we do

R.Politik was founded in 2018 by Tatiana Stanovaya as a platform to shed much needed light on the inner workings of Russian foreign and domestic politics. Our analysis focuses on elite infighting, the mechanisms of decision-making at the federal and regional levels, and explaining the logic behind key political firings and appointments.

The name ‘R.Politik’ was chosen to exemplify our engagement with political reality, rather than lazy speculation or polemics. Our name is also a reference to Realpolitik: like the German political tradition, our analyses strive to be free of ideology and personal prejudice.

We are a fiercely independent organisation and do not advocate for any individuals within the Russian political establishment. We do not pass judgement — our sole aim is to explain and provide exlusive information on Russian politics.