Guest article by Chloe Soal | 17 August 2026

In July 2026, the Russian Center for Policy Research (PIR Center), a Moscow-based independent non-profit NGO conducting policy research and education, public outreach and training, released its latest Security Index Yearbook for 2026 – 2027. Atomic Reporters was invited by PIR to review the publication–one of whose contributors, Tariq Rauf, is a member of the Atomic Reporters board. The invitation provided an opportunity to engage a younger reviewer and we asked Chloe Soal, whose work we admire, and is about to begin studying an MA International Journalism at the University of Leeds (UK) after completing her undergraduate studies, to take on the task. While Atomic Reporters’ primary role is to support professional journalists, we are also actively building citizen journalism skills among young people, helping them amplify and share concerns about nuclear related issues which would otherwise go unheard.

The Security Index Yearbook is a comprehensive overview of contemporary international security issues from the perspective of Russian academics and policy experts. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Russian academic literature has been relatively absent from UK humanities and international relations studies. I propose that readers should approach the text with an awareness of its political framing and historical inaccuracies, while still remaining an important contribution for anyone hoping to understand contemporary Russian thinking on global security.

The editors state in the introduction that this edition deliberately moves away from a ‘Eurocentric paradigm’ by focusing less on European security and replacing it with developments globally while also providing an up-to-date discussion of new technologies and Russia’s growing relations with the Global South. Although this ambition is evident in the variety of topics covered, I would argue that Europe and the United States continue to dominate much of the discussion. References to European security and NATO recur throughout chapters that initially appear to focus on more specified areas, often returning to the implications of European responses to Russia. Given Europe’s central role in current international security, these discussions are understandable; however, the repeated emphasis on Europe occasionally undermines the editors’ stated objective of decentring the analysis.

The volume is most useful in its examination of individual regions and states. The chapters focusing on Africa are the most insightful as they provide a detailed discussion of biotechnology, energy development, cybersecurity, the Sahel and Russia’s partnerships across the continent. It does not present Africa as a single political entity as the contributors acknowledge regional differences and analyse the opportunities and challenges facing individual states. The discussion of Russia’s growing presence in Africa is rather detailed and offers perspectives that are rarely encountered in current British academic literature. Although some proposed solutions ultimately favour greater Russian involvement and too often overlook the risks associated with external influence during periods of political and economic development, these chapters remain among the most informative.

The yearbook also has an up to date and detailed chapters of nuclear policy, space security and AI. The sections examining space governance and AI in military decision-making demonstrate the breadth of expertise among contributors and successfully combine technological developments with international strategic questions. The discussions of Australia and South Korea’s nuclear policy also provide substantial historical context and avoid the fear mongering and sensationalism that often characterises contemporary security debates.

The main limitation of the volume is its treatment of recent geopolitical events, most notably Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict is consistently framed as a ‘proxy war’ between Russia and the West, with terminology and analysis exclusively presenting official Russian narratives with little nuance. Russia is exclusively portrayed as responding defensively to NATO expansion while placing primary responsibility for escalation on US and European governments and Ukraine. References to “denazification” and discussions of proposed territorial settlements adopt positions that many readers will recognise as the contemporary Russian state discourse. Certain developments, including the slowing of Russian military advances or broader international criticism of the invasion, receive limited attention despite the volume being predominantly written in 2025. This perspective does not necessarily diminish the value of the publication. It possibly reinforces the importance of reading the volume critically and understanding it as an example of how Russian security experts currently interpret international affairs.

For readers familiar with the historiography surrounding the war in Ukraine, the yearbook offers a valuable opportunity to read an alternative strategic perspective that is often absent from UK international relations programmes. Understanding these viewpoints is important for developing a more complete comprehension of contemporary geopolitical debates, even if readers like myself fundamentally disagree with the standpoints and conclusions.

One practical weakness is accessibility. The volume assumes prior knowledge of international relations theory and security policies. Some of the key concepts are introduced with limited explanation, and several chapters engage immediately with specialist debates, making the text possibly difficult for undergraduate students or those new to security studies. The yearbook is therefore likely to be of greater value to post-graduate students and researchers than to those encountering these subjects for the first time.

The yearbook, therefore, acts as an important reference for those who wish to have an insight into the most recent Russian strategic thinking. Its detailed regional analyses are among its greatest strengths, while its geopolitical framing reminds readers of the importance of understanding multiple perspectives when studying international security in order to be able to propose genuinely applicable outcomes. Although the volume’s claim to move beyond Eurocentrism is not properly realised and its treatment of Ukraine is exclusively a distinctly Russian interpretation of recent events, these characteristics also make it a valuable resource for understanding how security issues are currently conceptualised within Russian academic circles. To state again for emphasis, read critically and alongside a diverse range of international studies, it is certainly an in-depth overview of an often over-looked perspective on today’s global security environment. 

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