The sets of links provided below should form a good starting point for any research on a topic related to Russian foreign policy and the EU-Russia relationship. The links are grouped in different sections: national institutions, political parties, economic indicators, research centers and a last section with random other relevant links.

Homepage of the author: Bruce Parrott


HISTORY

History of Russia
A country study by the US library of Congress. Next to a history of the Russian Federation, it provides information on Russian politics and culture

Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" -- the former Communist world

Yale Russian Archive Portal
This site provides detailed information about the archives of Russia, Ukraine and other former-Soviet republics


NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Russian government
The official site of the Russian government. Reading Russian is an absolute must to get any in-depth information

Russian President
The official site of Vladimir Putin. Here you can find information about Russian domestic and foreign policies, Putin's speeches, the text of the Russian Constitution and much more

Russian Ministry of Defense
The official site of the Russian Ministry of Defense. For more in-depth information however, you should consult the Russian version of the site

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The official site of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more in-depth information however, you should consult the Russian version of the site

Russian Ministry of Justice
The official site of the Russian Ministry of Justice. For more in-depth information however, you should consult the Russian version of the site

Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
The official site of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. For more in-depth information however, you should consult the Russian version of the site

Russian Ministry of Finance
The official site of the Russian Ministry of Justice. Reading Russian is a must to get any information from this site

Duma, the Russian parliament
The official site of the Russian parliament. All information is in Russian

Russian Council of Federation
The official site of the Russian Council of Federation. You can find general information about the Council, its chairman and its committees. For more in-depth information however, you should consult the Russian version of the site

Russian Public Chamber
The official site of the Russian Public Chamber, which held its first full plenary session in January 2006. One of the Public Chamber’s functions is to facilitate coordination between the socially significant interests of citizens of Russia, NGOs, and national and local authorities

Supreme Court of Russia
The official site of the Supreme Court of Russia. All information is in Russian

Moscow city government
The official website of the Moscow city government. All information is in Russian

Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation
The official site of the Central Election Commission. It provides information on elections and referenda in the Russian Federation

Russian Embassy
The official website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States. It provides general information on Russia and on US-Russia relations


POLITICAL PARTIES

List of political parties in Russia
Wikipedia entry providing information about all Russian political parties

United Russia
About the political party of Vladimir Putin. All information is in Russian


ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Economist Intelligence Unit
The Economist Inteligence Unit offers highly valuable, current country reports and highlights current political and economic issues

OECD on Russia
Reports and statistics on Russia, which is not a member of OECD. Browse the documents in chronological order or by topic (e.g. economy, trade, development, environment, energy, social issues)

Central bank of Russia
The Russian Central Bank has an accessible English website, providing many sources on Russian economic and monetary policy

Worldbank on Russia
This site offers - amongst other things - information on the Worldbank's activities in Russia and access to publications and reports on Russia by the Worldbank

Russian-US Business Council
The U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC) is a Washington-based trade association that provides significant business development, dispute resolution, government relations, and market intelligence services to its American and Russian member companies

Federal State statistics service
The official site to get 'Russia in figures'. It also provides an extensive archive of historical data on Russia


RUSSIAN PRESS

The Moscow Times
Daily newspaper in English

The Kommersant
Daily newspaper in English

Itar-Tass
Russian news agency providing news in english


OTHER LINKS

EU relations with Russia
Russia is the EU’s largest neighbour, brought even closer to the EU by the 2004 enlargement. The 2003 European Security Strategy correctly situates Russia as a key player on geo-political and security issues at global and regional level. This site summarizes the EU relations to Russia

The Northern Dimension
The Northern Dimension in the external and cross-border policies of the European Union reflects the EU’s relations with Russia (and particularly North-west Russia) in the Baltic Sea region and Arctic Sea region

About Russian political parties
Russia Profile analyzes Russian political parties

Russia in global affairs
Russia in Global Affairs, published in English on a quarterly basis, offers ´the depth of expertise and the breadth of vision on the most pressing security, economic and social issues facing the nation and the world´ – from a global perspective

CIA factbook on Russia
General information about Russia

Russia news service
The latest developments in Russia´s economy, business, industries, politics, international relations as well as human rights, religion, terrorism, and much more

State department on Russia
General information about Russia

Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation
The Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation (FRAEC) aimes at enhancing economic and community ties with Russia while maintaining a unique focus on the Russian Far East.

Energy Information Administration
Information about Russia´s energy resources, supply and demand

Russian National Group
The Russian National Tourist Office. How to get there and what to do...

Russia.com
The Russian turistic gateway site

Promoting democracy in Russia
This commentary and information platform is aimed at promoting democracy in Russia. The English-language version of Democracy.Ru is in no way a translation of everything that is published in Russian but still, you can obtain some information about the electoral system and find out what national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are doing to promote development of the civil society in Russia


RESEARCH CENTERS

Russia Profile
This is an English-language information service offering expert analysis of Russian politics, economics, society and culture. It consists of a website and magazine

Carnegie Endowment for international peace
This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. In 1993, the Carnegie Endowment opened a Center in Moscow, making it the first public policy research institution of its size and kind in the region. It has an elaborated program on Russia, providing access to many publications on US-Russia relations

Center for Political Technologies
The Center for Political Technologies (CPT) is one of the oldest independent think-tanks on politics in Russia. It provides some information in English

The Institute of World Economy and International Relations
IMEMO is a Moscow based think tank devoted to fundamental and applied socio-economic, political and strategic research

The Gorbachev Foundation
The International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation) was created by Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the USSR, in January 1992. Its inauguration took place in March 1992. The Foundation became one of the first independent think-tanks in the post-Soviet Russia dedicated to international politics

Center for Citizen Initiatives
The Center for Citizen Initiatives aims at implementing programs that assist Russian citizens in securing economic and political reforms and fosters cooperative partnerships and relations between the U.S. and Russia

Cold War research center
The LSE Cold War Studies Centre (CWSC) is a British centre for advanced study and research on the Cold War, its historical origins and contemporary repercussions. The Centre concentrates its research on a series of programmes dealing with the Cold War in Europe and in the Third World