MOSCOW, MAY 29, 2026. PIR PRESS. «Volume Two of the Security Index Yearbook maintains the high standard set by its predecessor. Each contribution reflects the work of leading Russian experts and practitioners representing key research centers», – Acad. Anatoly Torkunov, Chairman of the International Editorial Board, Rector of MGIMO University in his Foreword to the Security Index Yearbook 2026-2027.
Today, 26 May 2026, from 15:45 to 18:45, Pavilion № 2 of the Live Arena will host a roundtable discussion entitled “The Crisis of the Strategic Stability System and Prospects for Overcoming It” as part of the 1st International Security Forum.
During the event, MGIMO University, jointly with PIR Center, will also present the Security Index Yearbook: Global Edition, Volume 2 (2026-2027), an annual publication on international security issues.
The discussion will feature presentations and comments by the Yearbook’s authors and editorial board members, as well as leading Russian experts in international security and strategic stability:
- Dr. Vladimir Orlov – Professor at the MGIMO Department of Applied Analysis of International Problems; Founder and Director of PIR Center;
- Dr. Dmitry Trenin – President of the Russian International Affairs Council; Academic Supervisor of the Institute for Global Military Economics and Strategy at HSE University; Leading Research Fellow at the Section for Non-Proliferation and Arms Limitation of the Center for International Security, IMEMO RAS; Member of the PIR Center Executive Board;
- Dr. Ivan Safranchuk – Leading Research Fellow at the MGIMO Institute for International Studies; Member of PIR Center Advisory Board;
- Dr. Igor Istomin – Head of the MGIMO Department of Applied Analysis of International Problems; Member of PIR Center Advisory Board;
- Dr. Konstantin Bogdanov – Head of the Strategic Analysis and Forecasting Section at the Center for International Security, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS);
- Dr. Leonid Tsukanov – PIR Center Consultant and International Security Researcher;
- Mr. Sergey Ryabkov – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Volume Two of the Yearbook was prepared as part of PIR Center and MGIMO University consortium, and our joint project Global Security and High-Tech Breakthrough Opportunities for Russia on New Frontiers under the auspices of the Priority 2030 Program.
Digital Edition of the Volume Two includes 10 sections and 29 chapters, prepared by 32 experts from Russia and other countries. The authors include renowned Russian experts in international security, ministers (including Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov), deputy ministers (including Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov), ambassadors, and former presidents (including former Kiribati leader Teburoro Tito).
Read more about Security Index Yearbook authors
The Yearbook covers a broad range of global security and arms control issues (including international information security and the military application of AI technologies), as well as the dynamics of Russia’s relations with key global political powers (China, the United States, leading Middle Eastern powers, etc.). Volume 2 devotes special attention to Africa, examining relations with the region through the lens of high technology and resource wars. Some of these issues are explored, among other things, through interviews with Russian and foreign experts, diplomats, and political figures. This allows for a comprehensive view of the issues raised, from both the inside and the outside.
Volume 2 retains the continuity, main features and structure of the Volume 1.
Read Volume 1 of the Yearbook
Dr. Vladimir Orlov, the Yearbook’s Editor-in-Chief and PIR Center founding director, in the Introduction draws the reader’s attention to three special features of the new volume:
- Firstly, it is a deliberate shift away from a Eurocentric security paradigm. Russia is a Eurasian power. Its emblem, the double-headed eagle, gazes with equal intent towards both Atlantic Ocean as well as to Indian and Pacific oceans. From the standpoint of Russia’s current interests and future developments, I contend that European security should be viewed in concert with that of Central, South, East and Southeast Asia.
- Secondly, it is a focus on the intensifying nexus between security and advanced technologies. This volume pays significantly more attention to advanced technologies than the previous one. A dedicated chapter examines how AI and other advanced technologies are reshaping – one might say, in real time – the international security landscape. The security implications of advanced technologies are also thoroughly examined in chapters on space security, international information security and, notably, the future of arms control.
- Thirdly, it is a dedicated section on Russia’s strategic cooperation with countries from specific world regions. This volume concentrates on Russia-Africa cooperation, with a particular focus on advanced technologies (two chapters are dedicated to high-tech issues broadly and, specifically, to peaceful nuclear energy). The Volume also analyzes how the ongoing political transformation in the Sahel states affects Russia.
A key distinguishing feature of the Yearbook is its broad geographic range of opinions: authors discuss Russia and leading global security issues not only from Russia itself, but also from Ghana, Belarus, Somalia, Kiribati, Sri Lanka, and other countries of the Global Majority. Significantly, these contributions also include experts living in countries unfriendly to Russia but who do not share the anti-Russian approaches of their countries’ leaders – in particular, from France, Croatia, Switzerland, and Canada.
The Digital Edition features a significant focus on infographics. It includes 118 figures, 25 maps, and 18 tables – most of them were prepared exclusively for the Yearbook.
Read Security Index Yearbook Vol.2 Digital Edition
«What posed the greatest challenge in preparing Volume Two? – Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook, shares his impressions. – It is the extreme volatility and pace of change in contemporary international affairs. As the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin once noted “great things are seen only from afar”. Yet, our editorial team, bound by strict publication schedule, lacks the ability to step back and discern which of the current events will prove truly significant for history and for the future of our planet and which are transient, destined to fade from memory. We are truly aware that some narratives analyzed by our authors in October-November 2025 may be viewed from a different perspective in 2026.
Read the Introduction
We are aware of the fact that readers around the world have been eagerly awaiting the new volume of the Yearbook. Since the release of the Volume one, the Yearbook editorial team has received numerous reviews from all corners of the planet. Here are just a few:
- Colonel Bruno Russi (Switzerland): «Security Index Yearbook is an indispensable trove. It contains a rare and at the same time extensive selection of authoritative analyses from experts in political, military, government, academic, diplomatic, as well as journalistic fields. It is not only convincing in covering global issues from nuclear weapons, strategic nuclear arms control, cyber space, and international terrorism to lethal autonomous weapons-systems and new conventional weapons-systems but also in presenting Russia’s interests and positions concerning regional security».
- Bruno Rukavina (Croatia):«The Yearbook’s relevance lies in its function as both scholarship and positioning. While the analyses are clearly shaped by Russia’s strategic worldview, they provide valuable insight into how Russian experts interpret the shifting world order, the failures of Western-led institutions, and the opportunities presented by new partnerships».
- Abubakar Abdi Osman (Somalia): «Security Index Yearbook is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex and evolving global security landscape».
- Philippe Grinenberger (France): «Security Index Yearbook is an excellent source of information for French civil servants since it provides a different point of view from what is officially said in France».
Read more in the Part “Letters to the Editor” in the Security Index Yearbook Vol. 2
For general questions regarding the Security Index Yearbook, please contact the Executive Editor of the Security Index Yearbook, PIR Center consultant Leonid Tsukanov via email tsukanov@pircenter.org.
We welcome the participation of media representatives in the roundtable discussion. We would be pleased to see you at the event and will be happy to provide comments, expert opinions, and additional information on the issues under discussion.
Keywords: Security Index; Global Security
SIY
E16/SHAH – 26/05/26
