The bulletin

Main headlines:
EVENTS
Putin’s shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East
Why Putin Had To Concede on the Ukraine Gas Deal
ACTORS
The Kurchatov Institute’s Growing Intellectual Influence Over the Russian Leadership
PROCESSES
The Abkhaz Crisis Is a Challenge for Moscow

Main headlines:
EVENTS
Normandy Summit
China Pipeline: Pivot To The East or Just Diversification?
ACTORS
Systemic Opposition: Between Kremlin & Protesters
PROCESSES
The Regime is Tightening Control

EVENTS
United Russia Seeks Revival At Annual Congress
ACTORS
Academic Opposition: New Wave of Confrontation Between Russian
PROCESSES
Saving Private Yandex: Winning A Battle, Not The War

EVENTS
Africa-Russia Summit In Sochi
The Price Of The Putin-Erdogan Syria Deal
ACTORS
FSB On The Offensive
A Reshuffle At The FSB
PROCESSES
Human Rights Council Shake-up: The Kremlin no longer wants even minor accommodations with liberals

EVENTS
A New Syria Puzzle: Russian Stakes And Red Lines
Putin in Saudi Arabia & UAE: Business & Geopolitics Operating In Parallel
ACTORS
FSB Assumes Informal Control Of Russia’s Prisons
PROCESSES
Presidential Administration Plans Loyal State Duma Election
The Kremlin Tests New Harassment Tactics Toward Opposition

EVENTS
The budget: caught between prioritising economic growth & ensuring macroeconomic stability
ACTORS
Lebedev’s re-appointment & deepening judicial conflict
PROCESSES
Challenging Trump: how the U.S. President upsets Putin
Collision with reality? Ukraine-Russia negotiations over Donbas approach the most sensitive issues

EVENTS
Tripartite Ankara summit: the geopolitical intrigues that Putin has become embroiled in
ACTORS
Pavel Ustinov & the elite’s internal differences
Who failed over Oleg Smolenkov?
PROCESSES
Regional vote fallout: looking ahead to the State Duma elections

EVENTS
Regional elections
ACTORS
Are we entering a new phase in Russia-Ukraine relations?
Vaino, Surkov, Kozak, Medvedchuk: evolution of roles
PROCESSES
Moscow’s summer of protest

EVENTS
Putin’s revealing interview to The Financial Times
Putin & Trump: a new attempt at rapprochement
Political intrigue follows a nuclear submersible accident
ACTORS
The resignation of the president of Ingushetia
Top businessmen targeted in a wave of new criminal cases
PROCESSES
Russia returns to PACE as the Kremlin’s ‘All or Nothing’ Tactics pay off

EVENTS
Putin offers few concessions at his annual call-in show
The political background to Golunov’s release
ACTORS
Babich’s demotion will be a challenge for Oreshkin
PROCESSES
What is Moscow’s game in Moldova?