Russia’s Proxy Network Raises Risks as the Regime Weakens
Investigative journalist Christo Grozev argues that Russia’s growing use of private forces, proxies and hired operatives has made its foreign operations less predictable and harder for Western governments to deter. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal’s Yaroslav Trofimov after a screening of Antidote, Grozev said Moscow treats its confrontation with the West as an active war while relying on a dispersed network whose violence may exceed the control or competence of any single command structure. He also contends that corruption, economic strain and elite self-interest are eroding the system behind that threat, though a post-Putin Russia would not necessarily become democratic.
The Aspen Institute·Jul 31, 2026·10 min read
