On 11 December 2025, the Geopolitics and Security Studies Center hosted the presentation of the almanac “Understanding Russia: History, Propaganda, Geopolitics, Economy, Diplomacy.” GSSC introduced a collection of articles prepared by experts, launching a new annual publication series dedicated to research on Russia.
The first issue features texts by GSSC Senior Policy Analyst and editor of the almanac Vladimiras Laučius, as well as by Darius Kuolys, Greta Kunauskaitė, Vytenis Čipinys, Gintautas Mažeikis (GSSC Associate Expert) and Emilija Pundziūtė-Gallois. The discussion brought together co-authors of the almanac – Vladimiras Laučius, Greta Kunauskaitė and Vytenis Čipinys – and GSSC Senior Policy Analyst Vytautas Leškevičius shared his insights during the event.
The debate addressed the factors behind Russia’s resilience to Western sanctions, the logic of a war-time economy, the country’s structural dependence on the energy sector, and its growing reliance on China. Participants also discussed the specific features and research approaches in Russia studies, which are partly shaped by Russia itself, as well as the need to look beyond the confines of political sociology alone or an excessive focus on “political technologies.” The full content of the almanac will be published on the GSSC website in December this year. The printed edition will be available next year.