Event

This year’s conference will focus on the domestic situation in Russia and examine developments in state-society relations, the military and the Russian economy after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

This event is now fully booked.

In the final panel, we will discuss how Russia’s neighbours in Europe consider developments in Russia and how these influence the security situation in Northern Europe after Sweden and Finland joined NATO.

The conference will be streamed to our YouTube channel (no need to register for digital attendance).

09.00 Welcome and introduction 

• Kristin Fjæstad (Senior Research Fellow, NUPI)
• State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson (Labour party/Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

09.10 –10.25 PANEL 1: State-society relations

What is the status of state/society relations 2.5 years after the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine? This panel addresses this question by presenting new research on how Russians justify the war in Ukraine, on sources of social cohesion and on how the Kremlin currently governs Chechnya.

• Margarita Zavadskaya (Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA))
• Jeremy Morris (Professor, Aarhus University)
• Svetlana Yerpyleva (Researcher, University of Bremen and PS labs)
• Julie Wilhelmsen (Research Professor, NUPI)
• Moderator: Natalia Moen-Larsen (Senior Research Fellow, NUPI) 

10.25 – 10.45 COFFEE BREAK

10.45 – 11.55 PANEL 2: Military and economy

The military and its role in Russia are undergoing changes. This panel looks into three dimensions of these changes: the military itself, the military’s role in society and education, and the war’s impact on and role in the economy. 

• Kirill Shamiev (Visiting Fellow, European Council of Foreign Relations)
• Cecilie Sendstad (Principal Scientist, The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment)
• Håvard Bækken (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Defense Studies)
• Moderator: Kristian Lundby Gjerde (Senior Research Fellow, NUPI)

11.55-12.40 LUNCH

12.40-13.30 Keynote: Professor Timothy Frye (Columbia University), followed by Q&A with Matthew Blackburn (Senior research fellow, NUPI).

13.30-13.40 SHORT BREAK

13.40-14.55: PANEL 3: Neighbouring states and their policies towards Russia

Russia's war in Ukraine has led to significant changes also beyond these two countries. This panel will discuss the security situation in Northern Europe after Sweden and Finland joined NATO and how Russia’s neighbouring countries in Europe are interpreting and discussing domestic developments in Russia and their possible implications.

• Minna Ålander (Research Fellow, FIIA)
• Kadri Liik (Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR)
• Zbigniew Pisarski (Professor, Casimir Pulaski Foundation)
• Moderator: Jakub M. Godzimirski (Research Professor, NUPI)

This panel is organised as part of the NORPOLFACTOR project.

14.55: Final remarks

15.00: End

Contributors

Margarita Zavadskaya

Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Jeremy Morris

Professor at Aarhus University

Svetlana Erpyleva

Researcher at Public Sociology Laboratory and the University of Bremen

Kirill Shamiev

Visiting Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations

Cecilie Sendstad

Principal Scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

Håvard Bækken

Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies

Minna Ålander

Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Kadri Liik

Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations

Zbigniew Pisarski

Professor at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation

Timothy Frye

Professor at Columbia University

Kristin Fjæstad

Senior Research Fellow, head of the Research group on Russia, Asia and international trade

Julie Wilhelmsen

Research Professor

Jakub M. Godzimirski

Research Professor

Natalia Moen-Larsen

Senior Research Fellow

Kristian Lundby Gjerde

Senior Research Fellow

Matthew Blackburn

Senior Researcher

Related projects

Research project

2023 - 2024 (Ongoing)

Norway and Poland as actors in a changing security landscape (NORPOLFACTOR)

The aim of the project is to develop enhanced knowledge of the security-related challenges, risks and threats Poland and Norway face in their strategic environment in the aftermath of the Russian inva...

• Defence
• Security policy
• NATO
• Foreign policy
• Russia and Eurasia
• The Arctic
• The Nordic countries
• Conflict
• Energy
• The EU

• Defence
• Security policy
• NATO
• Foreign policy
• Russia and Eurasia
• The Arctic
• The Nordic countries
• Conflict
• Energy
• The EU