Who Actually Controls Russia? Inside the Kremlin's Inner Circle — Chris Monday

25. 12. 2023

This episode of The IR thinker explores the structure and practice of power in contemporary Russia with Associate Professor Chris Monday, from the hierarchy between Moscow and the regions to the role of Putin’s family, organised crime networks and the energy sector. The discussion examines who actually makes foreign policy decisions, how much influence ordinary Russians wield, and how the war in Ukraine is reshaping the country’s internal power dynamics.

Chris Monday

Chris Monday is Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at Dongseo University in Busan, South Korea. His research focuses on Russia, North Korea and other post-communist societies, informed in part by eight years living in Russia and service in the Peace Corps in Kenya. He has published in journals such as Asian Survey, Russian History, the Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society, Russian Review, Communist and Post-Communist Studies and Korean Slavic Review.

Publications:

After Putin, a Putina?

What’s Hiding in Putin’s Family History?

Privatization to putinization: The genesis of Russia’s hobbled oligarchy

Family Rule as the Highest Stage of Communism

Content

00:00 - Introduction
02:23 - Russian Power Structure Demystified
11:14 - Conceptualizing Power in the Russian Context
13:07 - Balancing Power: Moscow vs. the Regions
19:54 - Russian Regions’ Influence and Potential Separation
21:47 - Putin’s Family’s Role in Governance
27:25 - Putin’s Contemplation of Czarist Parallels
30:01 - Organized Crime Families and Their Grip on Power
34:09 - Power Dynamics in the Energy Sector
37:36 - Energy Titans vs. Government: Who Wields More Influence?
41:40 - Power and Notoriety: A Complex Relationship
45:11 - Foreign Policy Decision-Makers in Russia
48:44 - The Power of the Russian People: Influence and Politics
52:41 - Unravelling Russian Power: Research Methodologies
55:48 - U.S. Support for Ukraine: Geopolitical Impacts
1:00:01 - The Ukrainian War’s Ripple Effects on Russian Power