Anna Arutunyan

Writer. Global Fellow, @kennaninstitute. @ForeignAffairs, @usatoday, etc. Formerly @CrisisGroup & @themoscownews. Author of Hybrid Warriors & The Putin Mystique

Articles

The little grey man

Aug 14, 2024 | theneweuropean.co.uk | Anna Arutunyan |Mark Galeotti

In 1970, a scrawny, light-haired 17-year-old showed up at the Main Directorate of the KGB for Leningrad and the Leningrad Region, asking for a job. He was an odd mix of bland and street, already a veteran of many a brawl. He “wasn’t a hoodlum himself but was constantly hanging out with them”, as a childhood friend recalled: he could mix it with the best of them, but could see beyond the apartment-courtyard hangouts, a bottle of cheap booze being passed from hand to hand.
Downfall

Jun 12, 2024 | audible.co.uk | Anna Arutunyan |Mark Galeotti

Brought to you by Penguin. Evgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin's chief rivals in Russia's tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner's attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin?
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the thug lord who could topple Putin from the grave

Jun 8, 2024 | thetimes.com | Anna Arutunyan |Mark Galeotti

One year ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin took a stunning gamble: as head of the Wagner group he led a coup that proved the most serious challenge to President Putin of his 23 years in power. Two months later Prigozhin was dead, his plane having fallen into a tailspin after two reported explosions. It crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region, about 60 miles into its flight. All ten people on board died. But that wasn’t the end of Prigozhin’s story.
Neither Russia nor the West know how this war will end

Feb 28, 2024 | almendron.com | Anna Arutunyan

With Switzerland due to play host to a Ukraine peace summit by the summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is placing high hopes it will “strengthen” his country. But with Russia’s war against Ukraine in its third year, another summit is unlikely to offer a breakthrough — not just because Moscow will not be present, but more importantly because neither side has a clear vision of what a victory now means or how to achieve it.
OPINIÓN | Ni Rusia ni Occidente saben cómo terminará la guerra en Ucrania

Feb 28, 2024 | cnnespanol.cnn.com | Anna Arutunyan

Un reciente reporte del Ministerio de Defensa de Estonia se comprometió a “derrotar la teoría imperialista de la victoria de Rusia”, pero no definió exactamente lo que eso implicaba.
Opinion: Neither Russia nor the West know how this war will end

Feb 27, 2024 | cnn.com | Anna Arutunyan

Editor’s Note: Anna Arutunyan is a journalist, analyst and author specializing in Russian politics. She is the author of “Hybrid Warriors: Proxies, Freelancers, and Moscow’s Struggle for Ukraine,” and co-author with Mark Galeotti of the upcoming “Downfall: Prigozhin and Putin, and the fight for the future of Russia.” The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more CNN Opinion.
Opinion: Neither Russia nor the West know how this war will end

Feb 27, 2024 | news.yahoo.com | Anna Arutunyan

Editor’s Note: Anna Arutunyan is a journalist, analyst and author specializing in Russian politics. She is the author of “Hybrid Warriors: Proxies, Freelancers, and Moscow’s Struggle for Ukraine,” and co-author with Mark Galeotti of the upcoming “Downfall: Prigozhin and Putin, and the fight for the future of Russia.” The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more CNN Opinion.
Navalny showed there is a better Russia

Feb 23, 2024 | spectator.com.au | Anna Arutunyan

Everything was angular about him: his brilliant smile, the choppy movements of his hands as he spoke, the western mannerisms he had picked up abroad at Yale. But it was the smile that really stood out. Alexei Navalny didn’t know me, probably didn’t trust me, but his smile was a signal of trust – an open sincerity I’d never seen among Russian politicians.
Navalny showed there is a better Russia

Feb 23, 2024 | spectator.co.uk | Anna Arutunyan

Text size Line Spacing Comments Share Share Anna Arutunyan Navalny showed there is a better Russia Linkedin Messenger Email Everything was angular about him: his brilliant smile, the choppy movements of his hands as he spoke, the western mannerisms he had picked up abroad at Yale. But it was the smile that really stood out. Alexei Navalny didn’t know me, probably didn’t trust me, but his smile was a signal of trust – an open sincerity I’d never seen among Russian politicians. It was the kind...
Putin’s secret weapon is fragility

Jun 30, 2023 | spectator.com.au | Anna Arutunyan