No. 173: Russia and Regime Security

This edition focuses on the issue of regime security in Russia. Firstly, Aglaya Snetkov suggests Russia’s more assertive foreign policy on Ukraine and Syria should be interpreted in light of questions of domestic security and how these recent foreign actions relate to the Putin regime’s wider political project. Secondly, Keir Giles notes that the focus on the “current crisis” in Russia-West relations disguises the fact that the norm in this relationship is conflict and confrontation, especially now that Moscow perceives the West to be a more immediate threat and itself as more capable of taking action to address that threat. Thirdly, Mark Galeotti examines the role played by Russia’s numerous intelligence and security agencies in the Putin regime. He suggests they represent both a highly effective instrument in an age of “non-linear” political warfare, but also a vulnerability for the regime as they are failing to tell them hard truths, encouraging a dangerously confrontational and aggressive foreign policy. Fourthly, Katri Pynnöniemi analyses Russia’s recently published military and maritime doctrines, concluding that they reveal a diverging mix of signals and assumptions and perhaps most importantly, an emergence of a distinctive vocabulary that reflects Russia’s current ambitions in world politics.