Putin's Periphery: The Fight for Russian Borderlands
An expert panel assesses Moscow’s campaign for influence over former Soviet states and what this says about the political and security outlook for the region.
About This Event
In recent years, Russia has undertaken military action in Georgia, annexed Crimea, provided military support to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, and assisted the Belarusian leadership in halting anti-government protests. After a quarter century of eastward expansion by NATO and the European Union, Russia’s campaign to preserve or expand its influence over this vast borderland region threatens to redraw Cold War dividing lines across Europe. As Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border continues, experts consider Moscow’s possible objectives and the political and security outlook for its European neighbors.
About the Speakers
Acting Director, Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Daniel Baer is acting director of the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Under President Obama, he was US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from 2013 to 2017. Previously, he was a deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor from 2009 to 2013.
Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
Kadri Liik is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), focusing on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Baltic region. Prior to joining ECFR, Liik was senior researcher and director of the International Centre for Defense Studies in Estonia and worked as a Moscow correspondent for several Estonian papers throughout the 1990s.
Global Fellow, Wilson Center
Igor Zevelev is a Global Fellow of the Wilson Center. He is a former professor at George Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany and former director of the MacArthur Foundation Moscow Office. He holds a Doctor of Sciences degree in political science from the Institute of International Relations and World Economy in Moscow, where he served as head of department.
Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times
Max Seddon is the Financial Times’ Moscow bureau chief. Prior to this appointment, he served the FT Moscow bureau as a reporter and correspondent since 2016. He has reported widely in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union, and was formerly a foreign affairs reporter for BuzzFeed News, as well as a reporter for the Associated Press in Moscow.