Russia Program

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin is engaged in a strategic confrontation with the United States. In partnership with Beijing, Tehran, and other authoritarian regimes, Moscow seeks to replace the American-led, liberal international order with a new world order that is decidedly illiberal – one in which Russia has a “sphere of influence” over its neighbors, along with increasing influence in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.

This confrontation, which Putin increasingly frames in existential terms, has reached new heights amid Russia’s war of imperialist aggression against Ukraine. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to employ political, economic, cyber, and cognitive warfare weapons against the United States and its allies.

FDD’s Russia Program conducts in-depth research, produces insightful and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options to combat these threats. Chaired by Founder and President Clifford D. May, FDD’s Russia Program includes experts and analysts with diverse backgrounds and expertise on the full spectrum of the Russian threat. FDD’s Russia Program works in coordination with FDD’s three centers on American power to promote the use of all instruments of American power to strengthen U.S. national security and deter Russian aggression.