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Russia and Eurasia

The Human Security Centre’s research in Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia

The ‘Narva People’s Republic’: an Emerging Critical Grey Zone Threat

Estonia should respond to challenges as they emerge. Currently, Estonia is grappling not with an imminent Russian attack, but with public perceptions of security and their susceptibility to political manipulation — a factor that can enhance the effectiveness of Estonian response should the threat of Russian invasion materialise.

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Joint Human Security Centre-War Child UK-Save Ukraine report on the Militarisation of Ukrainian children published, 7 September 2025

War Child UK has published the Return Every Child report, exposing Russia’s systematic campaign to indoctrinate and militarise Ukrainian children in the occupied territories. Co-authored with the Human Security Centre and Save Ukraine, the report draws on testimonies from 200 rescued children and reveals harrowing patterns of abuse. The report concludes that the most likely goal of Russia is to encourage, manipulate, or coerce Ukrainian children into the Russian Armed Forces, including participation in combat against their own country.

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“Love is stronger than fear”: Russia’s protest movement beyond Navalny

Alexey Navalny’s arrest and sentencing brought the people of Russia to the streets, but it was anger at their current situation that kept them there. The ill-treatment you are likely to experience if you disagree with the government, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and years of declining living standards all combined to generate Russia’s largest-scale demonstrations in nearly a decade.

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Unmanned Aerial Systems in Nagorno-Karabakh: A Paradigm Shift in Warfare?

There has been a tendency among researchers and policy-makers studying the evolution and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles, referred to colloquially as drones, to discount their contemporary effectiveness in inter-state conflict. However, the recent conflict in and around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh has in some ways challenged that assumption

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