Biography
Maxim Alyukov is a postdoctoral fellow at King’s Russia Institute. He is also a researcher with an independent research group Public Sociology Laboratory. Maxim holds a PhD in social sciences from the University of Helsinki and an MA in sociology from the European University at Saint-Petersburg.
Maxim’s research has been published in a variety of disciplinary and area studies journals, including Political Communication, Nature Human Behaviour, Politics, Qualitative Psychology, and Europe-Asia Studies. He also contributes to the public discussion by writing for non-academic media, such as The Moscow Times, Open Democracy, Riddle Russia, and making appearances on TV and radio, including BBC, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, CBC. His commentary and research have featured in outlets including Al Jazeera, New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Time Magazine, The Times, The Economist, Newsweek, France 24, The Moscow Times, Open Democracy, Coda Story, and many others.
Research interests
Maxim’s research focuses on media, political communication, and political cognition in autocracies with a particular focus on Russia. He relies on qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how citizens make sense of the political world in authoritarian environments and in new hybrid media systems.
In his PhD dissertation, Maxim applied the conceptual apparatuses of cognitive and political psychology to understand media news reception under Russia’s authoritarian regime. The dissertation explored how political engagement affects the ways Russian citizens interpret the news about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and evaluate credibility of the regime propaganda. In addition, it focused on how citizens interpret political information in a hybrid media system in which the regime attempts to spread similar narratives simultaneously across different types of media including television, news aggregators, online news media, and social media.
Currently, Maxim continues his work on media reception and extends his research agenda to focus on political cognition in autocracies more generally. Relying on mixed and quasi-experimental methods, he investigates the social aspects of political cognition in authoritarian environments.
News
Authoritarian regimes 'harness distrust towards media and politicians'
The propaganda machines of authoritarian governments have harnessed a general sense of distrust in media as a means of amplifying their message, a new study...
Are public protests challenging authoritarian regimes around the world?
A new podcast episode looks at recent large-scale public protests in Russia, China and Iran including what has sparked them and what they tell us about the...
Access to facts 'not enough' to counter Kremlin propaganda
Attempts by Vladimir Putin’s regime to manipulate public perception of the war in Ukraine have been “quite successful” and new approaches will be required to...
Kremlin uses invasion of Ukraine to launch wave of 'digital vigilantism'
The rapid expansion of state-sponsored ‘digital vigilantism’ in Russia since it launched its invasion of Ukraine has allowed the Kremlin to tighten its grip...
Propagandists attempting to reshape narrative of Ukraine invasion
State-controlled media in Russia has gradually moved away from using the terms ‘denazification’ and ‘demilitarisation’ as justifications for the invasion of...
How do you sell a war to those who do not want it?
While Russia’s regular army has initiated a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, a completely different picture is presented to the domestic audience.
Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine
Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...
How has state-owned media in Russia shaped public opinion on Ukraine?
Russia’s authoritarian regime relies on the political disengagement of citizens to maximise the impact of state-controlled media networks and broadcasts, new...
Events
Mobilising for War in Russia
Join Sir Lawrence Freedman, Natasha Kuhrt, Marc Berenson, Maxim Alyukov and Gulnaz Sharafutdinova to discuss Russia's mobilisation
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
How do you sell a war to those who do not want it?
MAXIM ALYUKOV: While Russia’s regular army has initiated a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, a completely different picture is presented to the...
Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine
Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...
News
Authoritarian regimes 'harness distrust towards media and politicians'
The propaganda machines of authoritarian governments have harnessed a general sense of distrust in media as a means of amplifying their message, a new study...
Are public protests challenging authoritarian regimes around the world?
A new podcast episode looks at recent large-scale public protests in Russia, China and Iran including what has sparked them and what they tell us about the...
Access to facts 'not enough' to counter Kremlin propaganda
Attempts by Vladimir Putin’s regime to manipulate public perception of the war in Ukraine have been “quite successful” and new approaches will be required to...
Kremlin uses invasion of Ukraine to launch wave of 'digital vigilantism'
The rapid expansion of state-sponsored ‘digital vigilantism’ in Russia since it launched its invasion of Ukraine has allowed the Kremlin to tighten its grip...
Propagandists attempting to reshape narrative of Ukraine invasion
State-controlled media in Russia has gradually moved away from using the terms ‘denazification’ and ‘demilitarisation’ as justifications for the invasion of...
How do you sell a war to those who do not want it?
While Russia’s regular army has initiated a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, a completely different picture is presented to the domestic audience.
Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine
Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...
How has state-owned media in Russia shaped public opinion on Ukraine?
Russia’s authoritarian regime relies on the political disengagement of citizens to maximise the impact of state-controlled media networks and broadcasts, new...
Events
Mobilising for War in Russia
Join Sir Lawrence Freedman, Natasha Kuhrt, Marc Berenson, Maxim Alyukov and Gulnaz Sharafutdinova to discuss Russia's mobilisation
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
How do you sell a war to those who do not want it?
MAXIM ALYUKOV: While Russia’s regular army has initiated a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, a completely different picture is presented to the...
Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine
Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...