The buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's border and ongoing diplomatic tensions between Russia, the United States, and NATO have many in Europe concerned about Russia's intentions and possible aggression. Our interdisciplinary panel of speakers will discuss real-time developments as well as the perspective from inside Ukraine.

Panelists: Volodymyr Dubovyk, Associate Professor of International Relations and Director of the Center for International Studies, Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University (Ukraine); Andrian Prokip, Director of the Energy Program at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future and Senior Associate at the Kennan Institute; Yuri Zhukov, Associate Professor of Political Science and Research Associate Professor with the Center for Political Studies, U-M; Jessica Zychowicz, Director of Fulbright Ukraine & IIE: Institute of International Education, Kyiv Office. Moderator: Geneviève Zubrzycki, WCEE Director.

Registration for this virtual event is required at http://myumi.ch/Nm65q

Volodymyr Dubovyk has conducted research at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (1997, 2006-07), the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland (2002), taught at the University of Washington (Seattle) in 2013 and at St. Edwards University/University of Texas (Austin) in 2016-17. He is the co-author of Ukraine and European Security (Macmillan, 1999) and has published numerous articles on U.S.-Ukraine relations, regional and international security, and Ukraine’s foreign policy.

Andrian Prokip serves as a Senior Associate at the Kennan Institute. His areas of research include the geopolitics of energy in Europe, the transition to sustainable energy security, and the spatial usage of renewable energy sources. He also frequently writes opinion pieces for U.S. and EU media outlets.

Yuri Zhukov's research focuses on the causes, dynamics and outcomes of conflict, at the international and local levels. His methodological areas of interest include spatial statistics, mathematical/computational modeling and text analysis. His research has been published (or is forthcoming) in the American Political Science Review, Foreign Affairs, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, and Journal of Politics, among others.

Jessica Zychowicz recently published her monograph, Superfluous Women: Art, Feminism, and Revolution in Twenty-First Century Ukraine (University of Toronto Press, 2020). The book has been reviewed in multiple languages and countries; it won the Honorable Mention for the Omelijan Pritsak Prize for Ukrainian Studies at ASEEES and the Honorable Mention for the Scaglione Prize in Slavic Studies at MLA—the first ever to win this award for any book on Ukraine since the prize was established in 1992. The book will soon be published in Poland and in Ukraine. In 2017-18 Dr. Zychowicz was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where she taught courses in visual sociology, gender, and conducted interviews and archival research toward her second book. She has authored numerous articles on gender, human rights, revolution and protest in postcommunism.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact weisercenter@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.