Russia is facing a pension dilemma as the country goes to the polls

Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections on 18 September. To coincide with the elections, we will be running a number of articles on Russian politics and society. In this contribution, Aadne Aasland and Linda Cook outline one of the key challenges facing Russian policymakers: the management of the country’s pension system. While the Russian government is wary of inflaming public opinion over the issue, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia to fund pensions at their current rate and tough choices will have to be made in the coming years.