Nonresident Scholar Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Alexandra Prokopenko is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. She is a visiting fellow at the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). In her research, she focuses on Russian government policymaking on economic and financial issues. From 2017 until early 2022 Alexandra worked at the Central Bank of Russia and at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. She is a former columnist for Vedomosti. She is a graduate of Moscow State University and holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Manchester.
The uprising has highlighted a crisis of management in Russia’s political system and the huge contradiction within the Russian armed forces. But it looks like the Kremlin is not intending to take any measures in response, apart from dictating how state propaganda should frame the event
The EU should develop a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to address the issues surrounding European companies’ assets in Russia. Such a strategy should encompass legal, political, and economic considerations with the aim of safeguarding the interests of these firms.
Alexandra Prokopenko focuses on whether — as some officials are advocating — Russia could actually reduce spending in its next budget despite the war in Ukraine. She also looks at how Yevgeny Prigozhin’s insurrection prompted a huge spike in demand for cash and the rising numbers of Russians moving to Israel.
The excessive optimism of Putin and his ministers smacks of an attempt to convince not even mythical investors so much as themselves that business as usual is possible—and even compatible with their threats to unleash nuclear war.
Alexandra Prokopenko focuses on whether ordinary Russians believe the government’s claims that the economy is on the right track. She also looks at Putin’s latest nuclear rhetoric and Ukraine’s calls to further isolate Moscow from the global financial system.
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is the main event in Russia’s business calendar. However the gathering has recently become less and less international. The absence of high-ranking guests from the West is no surprise, but this year is also notable for a dearth of top Middle Eastern officials — and even the lack of many executives from leading Russian companies.
The Russian financial sector has taken a double hit from sanctions – both in infrastructure and in technology. The financial sector was able to withstand the first shock. However, the most recent restrictions on access to advanced technologies, especially from the US and the EU, will lead to import substitution based on technologies of yesterday.
In her weekly guide to the Russian economy, Alexandra Prokopenko focuses on Russia’s possible blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which could mean the severing of one of its last ties to the global financial system. She also looks at new measures to stop officials traveling abroad and Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullina’s visit to Iran.
