Russia

How does the Russian Church in Israel operate as an actor integrated into Moscow’s efforts to expand its influence in Israel and the Middle East?

How is Moscow's position on Iran's nuclear program manifesting amid recent dramatic developments in the arena?

How do Ukraine's four years of battlefield experience strengthen Kyiv's involvement in the Middle East—and what are the necessary conclusions for Israel?

Conspiracy theories play a major role in Russia’s contemporary political culture, and in the Putinist regime, they have been harnessed to justify the invasion of Ukraine and the repression of Russian citizens. Key to these justifications is the way that conspiracy theories portray Russia as an alternative to a corrupt and Machiavellian West, an enemy who is the absolute Other. In practice, this narrative makes it possible to identify enemies, whether external or internal, according to shifting political needs and circumstances. Since the narrative also frees Russian politics from the constraints of historical facts, the regime has been able to frame the Russia–Ukraine war as a continuation of the Second World War and as the moral struggle of light against dark.