Join the Harriman Institute and the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia for a panel discussion on the 2021 Russian troop build-up along Ukraine's borders.

After weeks of growing regional tensions as Russia amassed more than 100,000 troops next to Ukraine’s borders, on April 22, 2021, Russian defense officials ordered troops back to their bases, with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu commenting that the forces had “demonstrated their ability to provide a credible defense for the country.” What were the drivers behind this large Russian military build-up, and did they achieve their objectives? Did reactions by EU and US officials play a positive role in encouraging a de-escalation, or should we expect new tensions to arise over the course of the year? How have the Russian and Ukrainian publics reacted to the prospect of a renewed regional conflict?

Speakers

Timothy Frye, Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University, Director of the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow

Michael Kofman, Senior Research Scientist in the Russia Studies Program at CNA, Fellow at the Kennan Institute

Olga Oliker, Program Director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Adjunct Professor of European and Eurasian Studies at SAIS Europe

Polina Sinovets, head of the Odessa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP) and Associate Professor in the International Relations Department at the Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University (ONU), Ukraine