King's College London

MSc Russian and Eurasian Politics, Economy and Security - the flagship degree programme of the King’s Russia Institute - prepares students to analyse and navigate the profound geopolitical, security and economic shifts triggered by Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and the growing global weight of Eurasia. The programme connects deep country expertise with comparative and policy tools to understand sanctions and energy transition, defence and European security, state capacity and governance, information and mis-information flows, migration and diasporas, and the reconfiguration of trade corridors across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Taught by leading scholars and bringing a range of policy professionals directly into the classroom, the degree blends rigorous academic training with real-time policy-driven analysis necessary to understand the processes of political, economic and social change that are continuing to reshape Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus in the global context. The programme allows students to choose to focus on particular areas of academic or professional interest, such as:

- Eurasian Political Economy & Energy, focusing on political and economic analysis of the extraction, production, and export of energy in Eurasia and the changes in energy ties and energy transition associated with Russia’s war in Ukraine . Students will gain in-depth knowledge of the interconnected challenges facing the energy sector throughout the region and stretching into the European Union, alongside a range of robust approaches to policy and academic analysis; and

- Russian and East European Politics, Society & Security, focusing on how Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine is reshaping states and societies in Russia, Ukraine and throughout the region, covering authoritarian consolidation and elite politics; wartime political economy; mobilization, repression and diaspora dynamics; information operations and transnational repression; and the evolving EU/NATO security architecture. Students will gain a comprehensive, up-to-date regional knowledge and a rigorous social-science toolkit. 

We have designed our Russian and Eurasian Politics, Economy and Security MSc to provide you with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to analyse a broad range of contemporary European and Eurasian policy challenges, as they relate to autocratic consolidation in Russia.

You will study how Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has transformed regional politics and economics— from sanctions and export controls to energy security, information operations, transnational repression, and the evolving EU–NATO security architecture. The degree supports both academic depth and career paths in government, international organisations, business, media and civil society.

You will gain in-depth knowledge of the interlocking social, political, economic and security dynamics shaping Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia; up-to-date understanding of the war and its global spillovers; and a firm grasp of comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to policy analysis. Alongside shared core training, you will pursue specialised research in an area of your choice.

Throughout, we emphasise comparative perspective and encourage you to use Eurasian cases to test and challenge global theories and policy approaches.

By the end of this course you will have a thorough knowledge of:
• The history of social, political and economic transformation in post-Soviet Russia and Eurasia. • The key security challenges now facing the region and the EU: Russia’s war in Ukraine, deterrence and defence posture, sanctions and geoeconomics, critical infrastructure protection, cyber/information warfare, migration and diasporas.
• Practical methods for collecting and analysing empirical data (trade/energy flows, budgets, conflict and governance indicators, open-source intelligence) for policy and academic use.
• The perspectives of policy practitioners professionally engaged with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other Eurasian states.
• The policy implications of the ongoing developments in the region for decisionmakers in the UK, Europe and beyond. Students focusing on Eurasian Political Economy & Energy will also study:
• Energy and natural resources as a factor in domestic and international processes, including a critical analysis of the ‘resource curse’ argument.
• The role of natural resources in the economic and political development of resource- abundant countries. • The application of political economy theories and approaches to themes of economic policymaking in resource-rich countries and the energy transition.
• The utility of national statistical and budgetary data for enhancing research on economic policymaking.

Students focusing on Russian & East European Politics, Society & Security will also study:
· The connections between social, political and economic processes that culminated in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including regime dynamics, elite coalitions and wartime political economy.
· Theoretical and applied approaches to analysing authoritarian consolidation, mobilisation and repression, civil society, and diaspora politics.
· The comparative relevance of post-Soviet experiences for understanding state capacity, reform failure/success and security governance elsewhere.
· Russia’s global engagement before and after 2022: sanctions, export controls, information operations, lawfare and patterns of adaptation under external pressure.

This course will appeal to you if you are a graduate of politics, economics and energy-related studies, Russian and European studies programmes, or if you studied a different course but developed an interest in Russia/Eurasia, with the focus on politics, security and energy and/or you are seeking a career involving work in the sector.