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Dr. Ella Itkin is a visiting researcher in the Russia research field at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Her current research at INSS examines issues of soft power, as well as the intersections of ideology, propaganda and civil society in contemporary Russia. Ella studied history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with distinction. She received her Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University, where she wrote her dissertation on public housing in the Soviet Union. In addition to her work at the INSS, she is a research fellow at the Cummings Center for Russian and East European Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Ella Itkin
Visiting Researcher
Publications
All PublicationsThe Russian Presidential Election from the View of Russian Military Bloggers
How do the Telegram channels of military bloggers shape Russian public opinion?
16 April, 2024The Institution of the Russian Family under the Putin Regime and the War in Ukraine
Since the onset of the war against Ukraine, the Russian regime has instrumentalized the institution of the family to reinforce its anti-Western stance and legitimize its military invasion. By promoting the Putin family model, which emphasizes large families and traditional marriage, the Kremlin has consolidated authoritarian control and extended state influence over the private sphere. This strategy has been accompanied by the increasing repression of marginalized groups and the systematic restriction of women’s rights. The Putin family model also provides an ideological and moral justification for the war in Ukraine: the conflict is framed as a broader struggle against Western liberalism, particularly in its assault on family values.
2025-04-01 All magazine articles