New Eurasian Strategies Centre (NEST Centre)
nestcentre.bsky.social
New Eurasian Strategies Centre (NEST Centre)
@nestcentre.bsky.social
We bring together the best expertise on Russia and the surrounding region. Based in London and Washington, DC.

https://nestcentre.org/
Nikolai Petrov, NEST Centre Senior Researcher, joined @csis.org's "Russian Roulette" podcast to discuss the current status of the Russian elite, and why it finds itself increasingly under pressure from state security organs.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHM_...
The Increased Level of Repressions Within the Russian Elite
YouTube video by Center for Strategic & International Studies
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Unable to attend this week's briefing? Watch the recording of the discussion, 'Going dark: What lies behind the increasing internet shutdowns in Russia?' now 📽️ 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEMA...

#InternetCensorship #DigitalFreedom #Russia
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:28 PM
“Putin’s trusted messenger”: NEST Centre's Sergey Aleksashenko spoke to Foreign Policy on Kirill Dmitriev’s role in U.S.–Russia talks.

🗞️ 🔗 ForeignPolicy.com/2025/11/19/kirill-dmitriev-russia-envoy-putin-ukraine-witkoff
Putin's Unlikely Envoy to Washington
Kirill Dmitriev is a prominent purveyor of the Kremlin’s line—but real power may lie elsewhere.
ForeignPolicy.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
NEST Centre's Head of Foreign Policy, John Lough, joined Times Radio to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine — including reports of severe health issues within Russian forces and the broader collapse of military discipline.

Watch the full conversation here 📽️ 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHDG...
Putin's troops riddled with tuberculosis as military discipline collapses | John Lough
YouTube video by Times Radio
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Is the Kremlin building its own internet? Join our 30-minute briefing on Russia, 'Going dark: What lies behind the increasing internet shutdowns in Russia?'

Leonid Yuldashev joins John Lough to discuss.

Thursday, 20 November 16:00 CET 🔗 zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#InternetCensorship #DigitalFreedom
November 19, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A recent article in The Guardian by Pjotr Sauer and Shuan Walker has cited the NEST Centre's recent report, 'War with the Anglo-Saxons: How Britain became Russia's enemy number one.' (🔗 📑 nestcentre.org/war-with-the...)

Read the article here 📰 🔗 www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
How Britain replaced the US as Russia’s villain of choice
London and Moscow’s rivalry stretches back to the imperial era, but the Ukraine war has brought relations to a new low
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"Russia’s foreign policy is undergoing a systemic crisis."

Read our latest briefing note 🗒️ 🔗
nestcentre.org/the-crisis-o...
The crisis of influence: How war and administrative stagnation undermine Russia’s foreign policy
Russia’s foreign policy is in crisis, weakened by war, ageing leadership, and a steady loss of regional influence
nestcentre.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Unable to attend yesterday's mid-week briefing?

Watch the recording of the discussion, 'Lavrov's disappearance and the challenges facing Russian diplomacy,' now 📽️ 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=V680...

#RussianDiplomacy #ForeignPolicy #WarInUkraine
What does Sergei Lavrov’s disappearance reveal about Russian foreign policy?
YouTube video by NEST Centre
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:47 PM
On 19 Nov in London, the Delegation of the EU to the UK & the Centre for European Reform will host a discussion on "The future of Belarus in a peaceful Europe" with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

The NEST Centre's Katia Glod will offer a response.

www.cer.eu/events/cerde...
CER/Delegation of the EU to the UK discussion on 'The future of Belarus in a peaceful Europe' with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is the exiled leader of Belarus's democratic movement and the most prominent challenger to Aliaksandr Lukashenka's authoritarian rule. Originally a political novice and the wi...
www.cer.eu
November 14, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Russia’s economy isn’t collapsing – it’s stagnating.

Read our new report with the Center for Analysis and Strategies in Europe (CASE), 'The Dictator’s Legacy: A New Zastoy.' 🔗📰 nestcentre.org/the-dictator...

#RussianEconomy #Sanctions #WarInUkraine
November 13, 2025 at 6:47 PM
"Public opinion in Russia regarding whether the use of nuclear weapons is justified has remained fluid and highly responsive to official rhetoric since the start of the war in Ukraine."

Read the NEST Centre's latest briefing note, 'The new normal' 🔗 nestcentre.org/the-new-norm...
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
What does Sergei Lavrov’s disappearance reveal about Russian foreign policy? Join our 30-minute briefing on Russia on Thursday, 13 November, at 16:00 CET.

Register to attend 🔗 zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#Diplomacy #RussianPolitics #ForeignPolicy
November 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"Kyiv has a very strong incentive to expand its attacks on Russia’s oil sector," John Lough, NEST Centre Head of Foreign Policy, writes for Chatham House.

Read the commentary here 📃 🔗 www.chathamhouse.org/2025/11/ukra...
Ukraine’s best defence against Putin’s energy war is more attacks on Russia’s oil refining sector
Moscow is attempting to break Ukraine’s will to fight with more frequent mass drone and missile attacks on its power sector. To counter this pressure, Kyiv needs to increase its attacks on Russia’s oi...
www.chathamhouse.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Unable to attend last Thursday's mid-week briefing? Watch the recording on YouTube now 📽️ 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCyT...
Are Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons real?
YouTube video by NEST Centre
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Read our new briefing note, 'The new normal: Will the Kremlin use nuclear weapons?'

📑 🔗 nestcentre.org/the-new-norm...
The new normal: Will the Kremlin use nuclear weapons?
The Kremlin’s nuclear rhetoric blurs the line between deterrence and war, making escalation unlikely but entirely possible
nestcentre.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Is the Kremlin serious about using a nuclear weapon? Pavel Baev (Research Professor at the International Peace Institute in Oslo) will join John Lough (NEST Centre Head of Foreign Policy) to discuss in this week's briefing (Thursday, 6 November, at 16:00 CET).

🔗 Register to attend: lnkd.in/eiEsFGPt
November 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
John Lough, NEST Centre Head of Foreign Policy, writes on the cancelled Trump-Putin summit, recent nuclear sabre rattling, and new sanctions on Russian oil in The i Paper.

Read his recent piece here 📰 🔗 inews.co.uk/news/world/t...
The Trump-Putin bromance has blown up - but the US is not ready to confront Russia
Relations between Russia and the US have taken a major downward turn with a cancelled summit, nuclear sabre rattling, and new sanctions on Russian oil
inews.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 2:45 PM
As US-China relations improve, the Kremlin faces risks greater than those from sanctions or domestic pressures, exposing its growing dependence on Beijing.

Read our latest briefing note, 'The Kremlin’s greatest fear: Exclusion from a grand bargain' 🔗 🗒️ nestcentre.org/the-kremlins...
The Kremlin’s greatest fear: Exclusion from a grand bargain
As US–China relations improve, the Kremlin faces risks greater than those from sanctions or domestic pressures, exposing its growing dependence on Beijing
nestcentre.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
"The Kremlin sees itself at war with the West. And it has singled out Britain as the European country most determined to do it harm," Katia Glod, NEST Centre Deputy Head of Foreign Policy, writes for LBC. 📰 🔗 www.lbc.co.uk/article/krem...
This is why the Kremlin fears Britain | LBC
The Kremlin’s anger towards Britain reflects its fear of its own people, writes Katia Glod
www.lbc.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by New Eurasian Strategies Centre (NEST Centre)
Trump's new sanctions won't work, but Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv might. Putin isn't a politician, he's a mob boss who only understands force.

🧵Here's why the recent talk of long-range weapons has rattled him, and what needs to happen next: [1/12]
October 29, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Is the Kremlin worried? Join our 30-minute briefing on Russia, 'Stress tests for the Putin regime,' Thursday, 30 October, at 16:00 CET (11:00 EST).

🔗 Please register to attend: zoom.us/webinar/regi...
October 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
“The new U.S. sanctions are an attempt to put pressure on Russia. No self-respecting country ever does anything under pressure," says Mikhail Khodorkovsky, NEST Centre Founder.

Read the full interview 🔗📰 www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Tips for Trump on Russia (from an ex-oligarch once jailed by Putin)
The key to dealing with Moscow, Mikhail Khodorkovsky said, is understanding the paramount role of Vladimir Putin as the driver of the war and applying direct pressure.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 27, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Read our new briefing note, 'Putin understands only force: Why peace talks have stalled.' 🔗 📃 nestcentre.org/putin-unders...

And, in case you missed last week's briefing, watch the recording here 🔗▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=qouH...
Putin understands only force: Why peace talks have stalled
Moscow sees Trump’s attempts to secure a ceasefire not as a show of weakness – a chance to gain more, not to make a step towards peace
nestcentre.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Can President Trump broker a ceasefire in Ukraine?

Join our 30-minute briefing, when James Sherr joins John Lough to discuss the developments of the past week and the outlook for the war. 🔗 zoom.us/webinar/regi...
October 22, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Russia’s influence in the Middle East is fading fast. As the Kremlin focuses on the war in Ukraine, it’s losing leverage, credibility, and access to key regional players.

Read our latest briefing note 🔗 nestcentre.org/a-sideshow/

#MiddleEast #Russia #ForeignPolicy
A sideshow: How the war in Ukraine has undermined Russia’s influence in the Middle East
Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed it to the sidelines of Middle Eastern diplomacy, reducing its role to symbolic gestures and cautious messaging
nestcentre.org
October 20, 2025 at 11:46 PM