This new edition covers everything students need to know about the key institutions, people, parties and policies in Russian government and politics, as well as covering political behaviour, participation and communication. Revised to offer coverage and analysis of recent events, this new edition offers discussion of the war in Ukraine and its geopolitical, economic, social and psychological consequences. It also offers critical discussion of the Russian political system and its pivot toward authoritarianism, as well as detailed discussion of social and cultural issues and their interaction with politics; to further underline the role of individual personalities and the political impact of informal political and business arrangements in Russia. With new research and statistical updates including opinion polls, expert opinions, and other sources, this is the ideal text for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students studying Russian politics or comparative government and politics more broadly.