The Kremlin Playbook 3Keeping the FaithFEBRUARY 2022A Report of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia ProgramPROJECT DIRECTORHeather A. ConleyAUTHORSHeather A. ConleyDonatienne RuyCONTRIBUTORSMarlene LaruelleTengiz PkhaladzeElizabeth H. ProdromouMajda RugeLanham • Boulder • New York • London
II | Heather A. Conley and Donatienne Ruy About CSIS The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges.Thomas J. Pritzker was named chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees in 2015, succeeding former U.S. senator Sam Nunn (D-GA). Founded in 1962, CSIS is led by John J. Hamre, who has served as president and chief executive officer since 2000.CSIS’s purpose is to define the future of national security. We are guided by a distinct set of values—nonpartisanship, independent thought, innovative thinking, cross-disciplinary scholarship, integrity and professionalism, and talent development. CSIS’s values work in concert toward the goal of making real-world impact.CSIS scholars bring their policy expertise, judgment, and robust networks to their research, analysis, and recommendations. We organize conferences, publish, lecture, and make media appearances that aim to increase the knowledge, awareness, and salience of policy issues with relevant stakeholders and the interested public.CSIS has impact when our research helps to inform the decisionmaking of key policymakers and the thinking of key influencers. We work toward a vision of a safer and more prosperous world.CSIS does not take specific policy positions; accordingly, all views expressed herein should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).© 2022 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-5381-7045-8 (pb); 978-1-5381-7046-5 (eBook)Center for Strategic & International Studies1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20036202-887-0200 | www.csis.orgRowman & Littlefield4501 Forbes BoulevardLanham, MD 20706301-459-3366 | www.rowman.com
III | Heather A. Conley and Donatienne Ruy AcknowledgmentsThe research journey for the Kremlin Playbook began nearly seven years ago with a grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation to determine whether Russian economic presence could affect, or outright alter, the transatlantic orientation of a select group of European countries. There was quantifiable impact, but, more importantly, we revealed Russia’s methodology related to this particular form of malign influence. The Kremlin Playbook: Understanding Russian Influence in Central and Eastern Europe has become a research and analytical reference point for many policy practitioners and scholars. Although the research was never designed as a series, more consequential research questions organically sprang from the initial report. As we continued to explore...
