Three experts will shed light on the current state of Russia, the international pariah headed by its determined president, Vladimir Putin. What are the Kremlin’s goals as it continues its merciless attacks on Ukrainian military and civilian targets? How are the Russian people facing down the realities of war and economic sanctions? How should we understand this past summer’s attempted military rebellion and its leader’s recent death in a plane crash? Why are so many people serving Stalin-era sentences for purported crimes such as spreading “fake news” about a war that is forbidden to be called a “war”? What role does gender play in the recent conservative turn in Russia’s domestic politics? And how has the war affected the current arts scene in Russia?

Professors Thomas Hodge (Russian), Valerie Sperling (Political Science, Clark University), and Nina Tumarkin (History), will address these compelling questions and more in a panel moderated by Dr. Alla Epsteyn (Russian).