Russia is facing a triple crisis. Collapsing oil prices are destabilizing its budget. The rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic has not only caused serious human losses, but the nationwide lockdown is also hitting SMEs and socially vulnerable groups of people hard, particularly in rural regions. In addition, the fact that constitutional changes that were supposed to secure Putin’s regime and his leadership beyond 2024 are now on hold has put the country’s political system under stress.
During the web talk, we will discuss how Russia is trying to cope with these three overlapping crises. We will look at national and regional measures that were recently taken to address the challenges of the coronavirus as well as the economic and financial consequences of the current situation. We will also examine how all of these factors will affect the short- and mid-term future of the Russian political system, particularly in light of the postponement of the all-Russia vote on the proposed constitutional changes and the State Duma election in autumn 2021.
Speakers:
Maxim Trudolyubov
Editor-at-Large, Vedomosti, Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute
Janis Kluge
Senior Associate Fellow at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
Alena Epifanova
Program Officer at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Moderator:
András Rácz
Senior Research Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
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