Izabella Tabarovsky

2 months ago | wilsoncenter.org | Mykhailo Minakov |Mariia Shynkarenko |Katerina Sergatskova |Izabella Tabarovsky

March 16, 2025, marked eleven years since the disputed local referendum that Russia organized in 2014 to legitimize the annexation of Crimea. The outcome of the referendum was not recognized by the international community. The occupation of Crimea was followed by the outbreak of armed conflict in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April 2014 and paved the way to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

2 months ago | wilsoncenter.org | Izabella Tabarovsky |Maxim Trudolyubov

Among the leaders of Russia’s 85 regions, Ramzan Kadyrov stands out as a figure of special authority. He portrays himself as president Vladimir Putin’s most loyal soldier, commands a significant force of regular military, national guard, special police, and other units, plays an active role in resolving business conflicts in Russia, and even conducts something of a foreign policy of his own. None of this is imaginable for a regular governor.

2 months ago | wilsoncenter.org | Izabella Tabarovsky |Maxim Trudolyubov |Beka Chedia

Russia’s recruitment of soldiers to fight in its war in Ukraine has disproportionately drawn from the country’s Indigenous peoples. Individuals from these communities—most notably Buryats, Tuvans, Kalmyks, as well as members of small-numbered nations—have been recruited at above-average rates and experienced higher-than-average combat death rates.

2 months ago | wilsoncenter.org | Taylor Luck |Izabella Tabarovsky

Posted date/time:March 14, 2025 Major US Sanctions are a major barrier to reconstruction in Syria. With violence erupting on the country’s coast, US policymakers remain skeptical of lifting sanctions on the new government, which desperately needs investment to avoid economic collapse. Amid five days of violence, one question is on the minds of Syrians across the country, from average citizens returning to war-torn homes to business owners: when will the US lift sanctions?

Feb 11, 2025 | tabletmag.com | Izabella Tabarovsky

In recent days, two Finnish universities canceled my scheduled appearances on their campuses, turning me briefly into a minor celebrity in the country. Åbo Akademi University, in Turku, barred me from delivering my keynote address at an international conference on antisemitism set to take place on its campus. The University of Helsinki killed what was supposed to be a public talk.