Wartime Technocracy in Russia: Ensuring Stability and Propping up the War Machine

Abstract

This article discusses the transformation of technocracy in post-Soviet Russia. Russian technocrats - individuals with specialized scientific/technical knowledge who occupy top government positions - first emerged in the 1990s, during the period of economic reform. Under Putin, they became a faction within Kremlin power politics. The technocrats proved to be capable institution-builders, from the Central Bank to the Ministry of Finance to the Higher School of Economics, Russia's flagship university. Since 2022, they have contributed to Russia's economic stability and became effective managers of the wartime economy, helping Putin to wage his war despite their personal reservations about it.