More than one year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war rages on. Vladimir Putin’s plans for a quick victory were dashed by Ukraine’s defiance in the face of Russia’s illegal aggression. While Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people are now lauded for their bravery and defence of freedom, Putin continues to show the destructive potential of dictatorial hubris – all the while, it seems, retaining his grip on power.
So, what has the past year revealed regarding Russia’s political system? How well – or poorly – has the state operated domestically? How much longer can it maintain control? Are we seeing signs of regime transformation – and, if so, in what direction? What do the Russian people and the elite actually think about the war? And what is their role in shaping the country’s future?
Ekaterina Schulmann – one of Russia’s leading public intellectuals – will discuss these and other questions in conversation with Dr Ben Noble, Associate Professor of Russian Politicsat UCL, SSEES at a special event which is being jointly organised with UCL. The event will be opened by our Chairman, David Brummell.
Dr Ekaterina Schulmann is a political scientist, specialising in the lawmaking process in modern-day Russia, parliamentarism, and decision-making mechanisms in hybrid political regimes. She has a PhD in political science and is currently a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. She also serves as an associate professor at KAZGUU University in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Before 2023, Ekaterina was an associate professor at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES) and a senior lecturer at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). From December 2018 to October 2019, she was a member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights in Russia. Members will recall that Ekaterina Schulmann last spoke to the Society in January 2020 on The Future of Protest in Russia.
Booking arrangements: There is no charge for attending this event, whether in-person or online. Booking for this event will be via Eventbrite: see the link to the Eventbrite page below.
This is a unique opportunity to hear one of the leading and most highly-respected commentators on contemporary Russia at a critical time for the future of Russia.
While the UCL’s Darwin Lecture Theatre can accommodate 270, the tickets are likely to be taken up very quickly and so, if you would like to attend in-person, you are encouraged to apply for your ticket as soon as possible.
UCL have set aside a minimum of 50 in-person tickets for members of the Society. Members wishing to attend in-person should use the separate booking link for: Great Britain–Russia Society members - In-person on the Eventbrite page.
Non-members wishing to attend in-person should use the General Admission In-Personbooking link, and members and non-members alike who wish to view online should use theGeneral Admission Online booking link.
An edited YouTube video will be available after the event.