Ksenia Kirillova
Ksenia Kirillova is an investigative journalist and analyst focused on analyzing Russian society and mechanisms of action of Russian propaganda (including in the US) along with Russian “soft power,” “active measures” and foreign policy.
Ms. Kirillova is the author of several hundred articles, including research on Russian propaganda and soft power for the Atlantic Council, the British Institute for Statecraft (The Integrity Initiative project), Homeland Security Today (US), EU Today, the British-Canadian security project Defense Report, Ukrainian English-language media Kyiv Post and Euromaidan Press, Stop Fake project, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and others.
While living in Russia, she worked as a journalist for the largest Ural media holding Ural Worker (2008-2010) and the Ural branch of Novaya Gazeta (2011-2013)
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Articles by Ksenia Kirillova
Irreversible Changes Underway in Russian Society
Executive Summary: The Russian population’s interest in the war against Ukraine has significantly declined over the past two years, confirming some sociologists’ conclusion that the initial considerable pro-war sentiment was...
The Kremlin Feared Navalny in Life and Continues to Fear Him in Death (Part Two)
(Part One) Executive Summary: The inconsistent explanations of Russian propagandists for Alexei Navalny’s death underscore the Kremlin’s culpability. Silence and a lack of coverage from some prominent propagandists suggest that...
The Kremlin Feared Navalny in Life and Continues to Fear Him in Death (Part One)
Executive Summary: Alexei Navalny died while serving a 19-year sentence in a high-security prison colony. Foreign leaders have directly blamed the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death....
Kremlin Lures Russians to Support War with Access to Its Spoils
Executive Summary: Support for Russian presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin indicates readiness among Russians to oppose the war openly, reflecting discontent with both Putin and ongoing conflicts and motivating the Kremlin...
Kremlin Creates Illusion of Imaginary Victories While Unable to Solve Real Problems (Part Two)
Executive Summary: Economic decline and growing security threats limit the effectiveness of Kremlin propagandists’ claims of a “bright future” for a “new Russia.” Moscow has been unable to adequately provide...
Kremlin Creates Illusion of Imaginary Victories While Unable to Solve Real Problems (Part One)
Executive Summary: The recent “almost naked” party of Russian celebrities has led to a new wave of government repression and widespread public discontent. Moscow’s media campaign against the partiers aimed...
The New Year Brings Greater Censorship and Repression in Russia
In December 2023, independent journalists and human rights activists prepared a prognosis of what awaits Russia in the near future. According to participants in the “Network Freedoms” project, Russian citizens...
Kremlin Plays a Dangerous Game in Ignoring Protests Against Front-Line Conditions
In recent weeks, Russia has witnessed increased reports of violence against military personnel. The violence includes demonstrative retaliation against “refuseniks” (Russians who avoid conscription), “meat assaults” (human wave tactics used...
China Exploits Russia’s Vulnerabilities
According to reports from Chinese media in late November, Beijing has refused to invest in the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline, proposing instead that Moscow fully...
Moscow Seeks Solutions to Growing Domestic Discontent Over War Effort
On November 19, the wives and mothers of mobilized Russian soldiers held a protest in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk against rumors of another mass mobilization and demanded the return...
Moscow Distances Itself From Repeat of ‘Afghan Syndrome’ Among Veterans of War in Ukraine
Life at home is not always peaceful and full of glory for Russian soldiers returning from the war in Ukraine. Recent statistics from the Judicial Department of the Russian Supreme...
Ethnic Strife Resurgent in Russia
Anti-Semitic demonstrations in various cities in the North Caucasus marked the end of October. On October 29, in Dagestan, several hundred people broke into the Flamingo Hotel in Khasavyurt demanding...
Russian Propaganda Efforts to Capitalize on Fighting in Gaza May Backfire
On October 7, following the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began evolving into a full-scale war. The Kremlin's propaganda does not hide the fact that...
Russian Opposition in Exile Attempts to Influence Situation Back Home
Over the past weekend, the Telegram channel "Nezygar," closely aligned with the Russian presidential administration, erupted with posts criticizing the liberal positions prevalent among Russian exiles. The channel's authors and...
Radical ‘Diplomacy’ Harms Moscow’s Allies
Russian President Vladimir Putin has struggled to maintain control over religious radicals and other aggressive advocates of his war against Ukraine, though his political ideology and worldview do not significantly...
Moscow Tries to Bolster Military Forces While Avoiding Overt Mobilization
As fall approaches, rumors have been picking up in Russia regarding a potential new wave of mobilization. At the same time, pro-Kremlin analysts and propagandists assert that the current methods...
Aggressive Nuclear Propaganda Sets Trap for the Kremlin
In recent months, it has been rare to find a popular Russian political show that does not include calls for a nuclear strike against Ukraine and the West. At the...
Will Putin’s Successor Be More Flawed, Brutal and Inept?
It appears that the influence of the radical patriots in Russia has declined as of late. Around the same time as the arrest of war criminal and regime critic Igor...
Will Russian Youth Be Educated by Criminals?
Prisoners and “veterans of the special military operation (SVO)” occupy an increasingly significant place in various spheres of Russian society, even if this does not especially suit the Kremlin. Pro-Kremlin...
Propaganda and Repression Turn Against Their Creators in Russia
Conflicts continue to mount among the various “Kremlin towers,” and lately a curious trend has become discernible: Those methods previously used by the Russian authorities against dissidents have begun to...
The Putin Vertical Will Continue to Collapse
At first glance, it may appear that the Kremlin has managed to alleviate the consequences of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s revolt. Sociological surveys conducted by the Russian Field company reveal that support...
Russian Think Tanks Enable the Kremlin’s Dangerous Delusions
When it comes to Russian propaganda, it is important to remember the so-called “analytical centers” that constitute it, including the Valdai Discussion Club, Foreign Policy Research Foundation and Russian International...
Prigozhin’s Mutiny Took Russian Propaganda by Surprise
While the military uprising carried out by the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, lasted only a day, it caused enormous damage to the reputation of the Vladimir Putin...
Jamestown Analyst Ksenia Kirillova interviewed by Outlook India on Wagner’s ‘mutiny’
On June 24, Jamestown Foundation analyst Ksenia Kirillova was interviewed by Outlook India regarding the fallout from Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group's "march for justice." Her EDM article from May 22...
The Concept of Russian Victory Against a Background of Failure
Russian elites continue to assure the Russian population that there is no future without a victory over Ukraine; however, the image of this victory has been considerably modified in the...
Gloating and Anxiety: How Russians React to War Reaching Their Homes
The war in Ukraine unleashed by President Vladimir Putin has finally reached Russian territory. This includes not only raids by sabotage groups into border regions (see EDM, May 31) but...
Ukrainian Sabotage Operations Could Spell Increased Confrontation Between Russian Special Services
In an attempt to resist increasingly significant Ukrainian sabotage operations, the Russian special services may shift to a new and bloodier round of interagency competition. Recent months have shown that...
Can the Russian Opposition Foment Regime Change?
The Kremlin continues to experience failures on the frontlines in Ukraine at a time when conflicts between various private military companies and the regular Russian army are turning sharper and...
Will Russia Become a ‘Complete Dystopia?’
Russian propaganda continues to promote the patriotic mobilization of its population, sometimes resorting to quite surrealistic methods. Thus, a singer who uses the pseudonym “Shaman” produced a music video eloquently...
Will Moscow Turn Its Back on ‘Systemic Liberals’?
Recently, the so-called “national-patriotic” elite in Russia have intensified their attacks on the government’s financial and economic bloc. On April 21, well-known Russian propagandist and economist Mikhail Khazin revealed, “Liberals...
Russia’s Main Strategy: Demonize Ukraine and Hope for Weakening Western Support
As the United States continues to investigate the massive leak of classified Pentagon documents that include key strategic insights into plans for a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian propaganda is trying to...
Potential for Conflict Growing in Russian Society
While, according to sociological data, approval for the war against Ukraine in Russian society remains at 70 percent (Globaleurope.eu, February 27), and the Russian elite seemingly demonstrate loyalty in support...
Putin’s Regime Is Acquiring Features of Nazism
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Vladimir Putin regime has been increasingly compared to Hitler’s Nazi Germany. At the end of last year, the Russian television...
Moscow Uses Tragedies Caused by War to Further Justify It
The consequences of Moscow’s war against Ukraine have begun to appear in Russian territory. At the end of February 2023, Russia’s border regions suffered a massive drone attack. On February...
Why Putin Cannot End His War Against Ukraine
Among the many terrible consequences of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine launched by Vladimir Putin a year ago, one should be singled out—that is, the Russian president’s inability to end...
Jamestown Analyst Ksenia Kirillova interviewed by Outlook India on the Ukraine war and Putin’s miscalculations
Jamestown Foundation Analyst Ksenia Kirillova was interviewed by Outlook India on what we have learned from Russia's war against Ukraine as we approach the one-year anniversary of Moscow's re-invasion. "It...
What Are the Kremlin’s Hopes for Its War Against Ukraine?
In the 12th month of Russia’s war against Ukraine, analysts close to the Kremlin are increasingly sounding the alarm that the Russian people should prepare for a long-term conflict. At...
Will Russia Become an ‘Orthodox Iran?’
On the eve of Eastern Orthodox Christmas celebrations on January 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 36-hour “Christmas ceasefire” (Gazeta.ru, January 5). Yet, the Office of the Ukrainian President...
To Ensnare or Repress? Russia and Belarus Debate How to Handle Expatriates
On December 28, in Belarus, a closed tribunal began against Tatyana Kurilina, the former administrator of web-based chats for Belarusian oppositionists. Kurilina has been charged under 12 articles of Belarus’s...
Russia Finds a New Way to Survive Defeat
After the humiliating surrender of Kherson, Russian troops have produced no lasting military victories on the battlefield. Even the devastating missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are not producing the...
Kremlin Analysts Call for Killing of Political Emigrants Abroad
As his war against Ukraine falters, and against the backdrop of Ukrainian forces’ liberation of Kherson, Russian President Vladimir Putin has no other choice than to increase repression at home...
Infantilism and Sacrifice: Why Russians Go to War Even When They Disagree With It
The Russian authorities have seriously embraced the ideological indoctrination of children through “patriotic propaganda” to guarantee their unwavering loyalty as adults. Meanwhile, psychologists point out that Russian society embraces numerous...
Mobilization and Annexation Will Create More Problems for Moscow
In July 2022, military analysts loyal to the Kremlin noted that Russia lacked the manpower for a massive offensive (Topwar.ru, July 23). At the beginning of September, Russian pro-war experts...
Jamestown Analyst Kseniya Kirillova quoted by G-Zero on Putin’s ‘partial mobilization’
Jamestown Foundation Analyst Kseniya Kirillova offered her expert analysis on Putin's "partial mobilization" announcement to G-Zero. "The Kremlin calls it ‘partial’ so as not to cause panic among the population,...
Failure in Ukraine Increases Moscow’s Repression and Citizens’ Distrust
Despite unprecedented repression by the Russian authorities against anyone who doubts the necessity of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, more citizens are finding the courage to speak out. At...
Spy Scandal in Albania: Could Russian Intelligence Be Using Bloggers?
On August 20, two Russians and a Ukrainian were arrested in Albania as they tried to enter a defunct military factory in the city of Gramsci. According to Albanian authorities,...
New Concept of ‘Russian Sovereignty’ Is Inextricably Linked to the War
Military experts loyal to the Kremlin are increasingly recognizing that Russia does not have the resources to implement President Vladimir Putin’s ambitious geopolitical plans. However, Moscow leadership is seemingly no...
Is a Military Coup Expected in Russia?
Pro-Kremlin sociologists record an extremely low level of protest activity in Russia against the background of the Ukrainian war. In particular, the Social Opinion Fund notes that only about 15...
A Prolonged War in Ukraine Is Advantageous to Russia
On June 18, Lithuania blocked the transit by rail of sanctioned goods between Kaliningrad Oblast and the rest of Russia , a step that Russian propaganda immediately claimed could be...
Governor Versus Propagandist: Is Yekaterinburg Becoming a Center of Regional Resistance in Russia?
The standoff between the main Russian propagandist, Vladimir Solovyev, and the political elite of the Urals region (see EDM, May 17) has taken a new turn. At the beginning of...
Not Only War: How the Kremlin Tries to Influence the Policies of Other Countries
Moscow’s attempts to change the policies of other countries in its favor are not limited to military actions in Ukraine. Against the background of the war, the Kremlin is working...
Kseniya Kirillova Interviewed by Astna, Concerning the Competence of Russia’s Secret Services
On April 29, 2022, an interview with Kseniya Kirillova concerning the competence of Russia's secret services was published Astna.
Nuclear Escalation and Russian Propaganda: Conjuring a Crisis
While continuing its armed assault on the battlefields of Donbas, the Kremlin is boosting its attacks against Ukraine on the information front as well. Russian propaganda’s continuing dehumanization of Ukraine...
Ukrainian Experts: Russian Use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons a Real Possibility
Following the March 29 round of Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations, held in Istanbul, a cautious optimism crept into the rhetoric of the Russian delegation. However, this was swiftly followed by harshly...
Putin Opens a Second Front: The Battle Against ‘Traitors’ Inside Russia
Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, conceived as a “blitzkrieg,” has gone on already for a month, inflicting colossal damage to Ukraine and making life in Russia substantially worse. Nevertheless, pro-government...
Putin Is Losing the War, but Russians Have Stockholm Syndrome
After two weeks of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the majority of Russian society apparently still supports the aggression. Pro-government opinion poll organizations cheerfully report 71 percent backing for the...
Majority of Russians Not Against War Now, but This Will Change
From the beginning of President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, anti-war actions have swept through all the major cities of Russia. Protests break out practically every day and, according...
The Kyiv Independent Quotes Jamestown Analyst Kseniya Kirillova
On February 28, The Kyiv Independent quoted Jamestown analyst Kseniya Kirillova in an article concerning the effects of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Propagandists Justify Aggressive Policies as a Battle Against the ‘Western Yoke’
The Kremlin’s official recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” (DPR, LPR) on Monday, February 22, further aggravated the confrontation between Russia and the West. As if preparing...
Kremlin Refocuses Its Propaganda in Preparation for War
While Russia continues to build up its military forces on the Ukrainian border (see EDM, December 13, 2021 and January 20, 2022), the Kremlin has also stepped up the war...
Russian Ideologists Call for External Expansion: What Can Ukraine Expect?
Kyiv’s western allies continue to express concern over the buildup of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine (see EDM, November 8, 29). US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said...
Increased Social Tensions in Russia Spill Over Into Shootings and Inter-Ethnic Conflicts
Beginning in the fall of 2018, sociologists saw a sharp rise in social tensions in Russia, driven by price increases, unemployment and an economic crisis (Deutsche Welle—Russian service, September 6,...
Russian Authorities Seek Total Control Over Internet
The final months ahead of the elections to the Russian State Duma (lower chamber of parliament) were marked by a total cleansing of the political field (see EDM, September 13)....
Russian Communists Try to Control Popular Discontent
In the run-up to September’s legislative elections to the State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament), the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has been notably active. Traditionally,...
Russian Media Misrepresents US Anti-Terrorism Strategy to Justify Repressions in Russia
Russian propaganda has been actively discussing the United States’ National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, released by the White House on June 15. Russian outlets claim that now “anyone in...
Analyst Kseniya Kirillova in The Daily Beast about FBI Investigating Russian Diaspora
On June 7, The Daily Beast published an article about the Russian diaspora being under investigation by the FBI. The article included commentary by Jamestown analyst Kseniya Kirillova. According to...
Russian Propaganda Focuses on Kazan School Shooting Tragedy
On May 11, news emerged of a terrible tragedy in Kazan, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan—19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviyev brought a weapon to the school he had graduated...
Russian Influence in Montenegro Could Create a Threat for NATO’s Information Security
A scandal erupted in Montenegro at the end of March: the head of the Balkan country’s National Security Agency (ANB), Dejan Vukšić, was charged with revealing secret information during a...
Poverty and Passivity: Are New Protests Expected in the Russian Regions?
On January 2, Russian media quietly reported that, “in Khabarovsk [Russian Far East], unsanctioned actions in support of former Governor Sergei Furgal came to an end” (RIA Novosti, January 2)....
Russian Authorities Redouble Pressure to Preserve Crimeans’ Loyalty
Moscow and most Russian regions saw a series of huge rallies at the end of January and early February, in which protesters demanded the immediate release of Russian dissident and...
Behind the Rumors of Putin’s Illness: Distraction or Signal of Looming Changes at the Top?
This past month saw a new surge in “leaks” and speculation about the state of President Vladimir Putin’s health along with suggestions in the press that he might, therefore, be...
Ukraine’s Geopolitical Successes Become Russian Defeats
In the first half of October, the Ukrainian leadership concluded a series of important international agreements, with significance not only for Kyiv itself but also for buttressing regional security more...
Can Turmoil in Belarus and Karabakh Inspire a New Patriotic Surge in Russia?
Protests in Belarus and the fighting in Karabakh have upended relations between the Russian authorities and the leaders of Minsk and Yerevan. In the past, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and...
Ukrainian Reverberations of the Wagner Arrests in Belarus: Russian Disinformation?
A scandal surrounding the alleged “betrayal” by a high-ranking official of the presidential administration is rapidly gaining momentum in Ukraine. The situation curiously concerns the detention of 33 mercenaries from...
Protests in Khabarovsk: Causes and Directions
Demonstrations in Khabarovsk Krai, prompted by the July 9 arrest of regional governor Sergei Furgal, have become among the largest and longest of recent protest actions inside the Russian Federation,...
Latent Russian Dissatisfaction: On the Explicit and Hidden Implications of Putin’s Constitutional Reform
The newly approved amendments to the Russian constitution went into force on July 4. The night before, President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant executive order. According to official data, in...
Moscow Pressures Ukrainian Authorities by Stepping Up Passportization Efforts
On June 9, Russian parliamentarian Viktor Vodolatskiy declared that this year, 600,000–800,000 inhabitants of the unrecognized “republics” on the occupied territory of Ukrainian Donbas will receive Russian citizenship (TASS, June...
Russian Influence Grows in Central Asia
The Russian Federation is strengthening its economic integration with several Central Asian states. At the beginning of April, the authorities of Uzbekistan and Russia agreed to set up an economic...
Russian Population Does Not Trust the Authorities but Still Believes the Propaganda
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a growing public mistrust toward the Russian authorities. But at the same time, most Russians still believe state-promoted anti-Western conspiracy theories. The situation around the...
Russia Tries to Capitalize on the Coronavirus Pandemic
While the whole world copes with the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic responsible for COVID-19, Moscow has been attempting to take advantage of the situation. Under the pretext...
Russia Pushes to Drastically Expand Its Influence Over Ukraine, Rest of Post-Soviet Space
In recent months, the Kremlin dramatically stepped up efforts to push its interests and political agenda across the post-Soviet space as part of various “negotiations” and “conflict resolution procedures.” A...
Russia Faces New Demands and Conditions From Bulgaria
Tensions between Russia and Bulgaria looked on the verge of resolution at the end of last month. But trust between the two countries has since declined. In late January, Bulgaria...
Is a ‘Soviet Revanche’ Possible in Russia?
At the end of last year, the conference “Russia-2024: Left Turn or National Disaster?” was held in Moscow. One of its organizers, a Russian opposition politician known for his radical-left...
Serbia’s Espionage Scandal May Point to Moscow’s Growing Mistrust of Serbian Leadership
An espionage scandal has erupted in Serbia over the possible recruitment of a senior Serbian official by Russian special services. A video posted online by someone using the YouTube handle...