Eastern Europe

Nearly two years after the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Ukraine is in an extremely fragile period of transition. While the country remains mired in a conflict with Russia and the separatists in the Donbas region, a fundamental reform process has started in Kiev. Ukrainian elites have the clear goal of EU integration, but the route to a prosperous and democratic country is strewn with obstacles.

The Russian political and economic system is shaped by informal rules and personal ties and driven by corruption as an integral part of the system rather than an exception. What kind of strategies have Russian elites developed to export these rules to the European Union and how do they influence politics in former post-Soviet countries like Ukraine? Is Russia successful in influencing Western policies and public opinion through informal networks and the media?