Izborsk Club

The Izborsky Club is a Russian Conservative think tank which specializes in studying Russia's foreign and domestic policy. It was founded by publicist Alexander Prokhanov in September 2012 and includes several well-known nationalist and traditionalist intellectuals in Russia. History The Izborsky club was created by a group of Russian intellectuals in September 2012 amidst celebration of the 1,150th anniversary of the city of Izborsk with support from Pskov regional governor Andrey Turchak. The writer Alexander Prokhanov was elected chairman of the club, and and were elected executive secretaries. According to German political scientist Umland Andreas, the club includes an ultra-conservative flank of supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organization took its name from the Pskov village of Izborsk near the border with Estonia, where its first meeting took place on the eve of its 1,150th anniversary celebration. The club's meetings, according to official information on its website, were held in Yekaterinburg, Ulyanovsk, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Bryansk, Belgorod, Tula, Kaluga, Omsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Donetsk and other cities, as well as in Yakutia, Dagestan and in Crimea. Field meetings of the club were held in Transnistria (Moldova), Syria, Serbia, China, Iran and other countries.