Traditionally, as the middle class accumulates wealth and property, it develops a vested interest in stability and the rule of law, promoting the development of a set of democratic checks and balances on the government. Russia’s middle class was once regarded as a major source of opposition to the Putin regime, as was seen during the wave of protests between 2011 and 2013. But divisions have weakened the solidarity of the Russian middle class and questioned its role as a catalyst for democratic change. That crucial dividing line is between those who depend on the state for their livelihood and those who work in the non-state sectors of the economy.

The end of the post-Soviet era created a middle class that grew affluent on the back of oil and gas deposits. But another layer of middle class grew out of the huge army of public sector workers and state officials. Not just people working directly for the state but also in state corporations and in private companies that rely on their connections with the state. This has made Russia’s middle class much less likely to rock the boat. Dependent on the state for income, they are prioritising stability and economic security over liberal, democratic values. Cameron Ross reports on how the current middle classes seem quietly content with the status quo of the Putin regime.

In neighbouring Ukraine, as the civil war drags on into its sixth year, President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced an initiative designed to break the deadlock and establish a lasting peace in eastern Ukraine. Can it work? And new research demonstrates that the region at the heart of China’s Belt and Road Initiative has huge potential for generating solar power that could decouple the ensuing economic growth from devastating levels of carbon emissions.

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