Aleksanteri Institute

22 October 10:30-11:45, Dina Sharipova: Extremism in Central Asia: A Real Threat and a Political Tool? 22 October 15:15-16:30, Daunis Auers: The Baltic Pivot: Internal Upheaval After Ukraine and Trump 23 October 13:30-14:45, Olesya Khromeychuk: Embracing Agency in an Age of Polarisation 23 October 15:15-16:30, Dmitry Dubrovsky: Experts and Schmexperts: Russian Academia in the State’s War on ‘Extremism’ 23 October 13:45-15:00, Andrea Pető: Why Gender is Central to Illiberal Politics

The Aleksanteri Conference 2025 is just around the corner, taking place 22–24 October. Register by 13 October as an attendee to gain insights not only from the keynote plenaries but also from a variety of roundtable and panel discussions! www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

A bias for hope: Vladimir Gel’man on research, Russia, and the challenges of studying politics | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki To mark the 60th birthday of Professor Vladimir Gel’man, we spoke with him about his journey from engineering to becoming an established political scientist. In this interview, he discusses the curren...

To mark Professor Vladimir Gel'man's 60th birthday and celebrate his academic career, the Aleksanteri Institute's blog published an interview with him about research, Russia, and the challenges of studying politics. Read it below:

www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

As one of the keynotes, we're excited to welcome Dmitry Dubrovsky, Russian historian and sociologist, a lecturer in the Boris Nemtsov Russian Studies program at Charles University (Prague), and a professor at the Free University (Riga). Among other topics, he focuses on academic freedom in Russia.

Digitalisation and Inclusion of Refugees in Healthcare | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki Digitalisation of healthcare systems creates substantial obstacles for refugees who lack digital literacy and familiarity with local contexts. Further investigation is necessary to understand whether ...

The latest Aleksanteri Insight is out! Elena Bogdanova, a grant-funded researcher at the Aleksanteri Institute, reflects on how the digitalisation of public services affects refugees’ access to healthcare. www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

Programme | Extremisms: ambiguities, ideologies, agency | University of Helsinki Please note that there may be changes to the programme. All programme times are Helsinki local time (UTC +03:00 EEST).

The programme for the Aleksanteri Conference 22-24 October: "Extremisms: Ambiguities, Ideologies, Agency" has now been published! Take a look at the programme here: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

Katri Pynnöniemi, researcher at the Aleksanteri Institute and Finnish National Defense University, has been appointed Professor | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki Katri Pynnöniemi conducts and supervises research on Russia’s security policy. Currently, she focuses on the study of Russia’s strategic thinking, military thought, and threat analysis. Professor Pynn...

Warm congratulations to our researcher Katri Pynnöniemi @katri.bsky.social, who has been appointed Professor this week! Read more about her work as a distinguished researcher and teacher of Russian security policy here: www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

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Join us in Metsätalo next Thursday, 18 September, from 14:30 to 16:00 for the launch of the first-ever English translation of Alexandra Kollontai’s Finland and Socialism, translated by Cathy Porter! tapahtumat.helsinki.fi/en-FI/page/6...

We have the honour to welcome Dr Olesya Khromeychuk
as a keynote speaker for the #Aleksanteri2025 Conference. Dr Khromeychuk is a writer and historian who has written for The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel.
Registration: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

Dokumenttiromaani tutkijan kynästä: Gulagin viisas | Aleksanteri-instituutti | Helsingin yliopisto Kulttuurihistorian dosentti Elina Kahla pohtii tieteen ja fiktion erilaisia mahdollisuuksia kuvata herkkiä aiheita ja tuoretta teostaan, joka on lähdeaineistoon perustuva dokumenttiromaani tutkimuksen...

Miten tutkija lähestyy fiktion kirjoittamista? Aleksanteri-instituutin blogissa kultuurihistorian dosentti Elina Kahla pohtii kysymystä vastajulkaistun dokumenttiromaaninsa Gulagin viisas pohjalta. www.helsinki.fi/fi/aleksante...

Join us for a @centrepeace.bsky.social public lecture: “No War, No Peace? Rethinking Power, Violence, and the Prospects for Peace in the South Caucasus” by Dr. Zinaida Bechná, 12 August in Metsätalo and online, at 15:00. Please register by 10 August here: elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/13...

The Aleksanteri Conference's banner with Professor Daunis Auers' image and title included. The background image is green toned, with a shattered window.

Excited to announce that Prof. Daunis Auers will be one of the keynote speakers at the #Aleksanteri2025 Conference! He is a Professor of European Studies and Jean Monnet Chair at the University of Latvia, and Director of the LaSER think tank.
Please register here: helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

MAREEES student Sofia Malysheva won the master’s thesis award from the Finnish Association for Russian and East European Studies | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki Sofia Malysheva was one of the winners of the master’s thesis award. In this interview, she shares her experience of studying in Finland and working on her award-winning master’s thesis.

Our MAREEES student Sofia Malysheva has won the Master’s Thesis Award from the Finnish Association for Russian and East European Studies with her thesis analyzing Soviet women’s responses to Natalya Baranskaya’s novella. Congratulations! Read her interview: www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

We are honored to welcome Professor at the Department of Gender Studies at Central European University @weareceu.bsky.social Andrea Pető @petoandrea.bsky.social as a keynote speaker for the #Aleksanteri2025 conference! Please register for the conference here: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

We're excited to welcome Dina Sharipova, Associate Professor and Vice-Dean for Research at the Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, as on of the keynotes for the #Aleksanteri2025 conference! Register for the conference here: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

Registration for the Aleksanteri Conference 2025 is now open! To register as a presenting or non-presenting participant, please follow the instructions on the conference website: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

Welcome to the book launch event of Prof. Vladimir Gel'man, "Russia's Gamble: The Domestic Origins of Russia's Attack on Ukraine" on Monday 26 May, 17:15-18:15 in Metsätalo hall 2, @helsinki.fi. Read more about the book published by @politybooks.bsky.social: www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...

YouTube video by Aleksanteri Institute To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement

Just learned that our #Aleksanteri2024 keynote speaker won the Pulitzer Prize for the book he presented at the conference! Congratulations to Benjamin Nathans, very well deserved! pulitzer.org/node/benjami...
You can watch his keynote speech here: youtu.be/3Zr6nUkb9Cw?...

The title of the conference alongside a note about the deadline for the submissions, written with white text, on a background of a broken, dirty glass; there is a blurred grey and green view outside.

You are welcome to submit your paper, panel, and roundtable proposals for the Aleksanteri Conference of 2025, "Extremisms: Ambiguities, Ideologies, Agency" by 16 May! Please review the Call for Papers and submit your proposal here: www.helsinki.fi/en/conferenc...

Independent voices from Russia: Between safety and knowledge extractivism | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki On-the-ground reporting from inside Russia is the core source for knowledge production about the country. Those who produce this information are simultaneously at risk and underprivileged.

Our series of expert opinions and short analyses, Aleksanteri Insight, has just published a new piece. Researchers Olga Dovbysh and Elena Rodina discuss the risks faced by Russian media in exile: www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

Experts on Ukraine and Russia | University of Helsinki Researchers at the University of Helsinki are following the Russian aggression and developments in Ukraine and are available to answer questions. You can also find experts to comment on the Russian pr...

Hi! Our Bluesky account focuses on science communication. However, our researchers’ work on Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine can offer insight for those working on policy solutions. For example: @katri.bsky.social and @atolvin.bsky.social. More scholars @helsinki.fi: bit.ly/4lnRbOf

The ERC project GULAGECHOES has come to an end, but research on multicultural prisons is as relevant as ever | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki Principal Investigator of GULAGECHOES, Professor Judith Pallot reflects on the findings of the novel project.

The ERC project GULAGECHOES has come to an end – but research on multicultural prisons is as relevant as ever, argues the Principal Investigator of the project, Prof. Judith Pallot. Read more about her reflections on the noteworthy project and its results here: www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksante...

Why Don’t Russian Soldiers Revolt? Astonishing death rates and brutal abuse have not kept troops from following orders.

My first Foreign Policy essay is out - it examines the role of violence in Russia's military, which both creates docility in the face of meatgrinder tactics, and encourages increased violence towards fellow soldiers and Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/09/r...

Aleksanteri institute's location showed on a globe, Helsinki, the capital of Finland pinned. The image features the logo of the University of Helsinki and an insert of how the Institute's building, Metsätalo, looks like from the outside with sky reflected on its windows.

We’re happy to join Bluesky! As the Finnish Centre specializing on Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European studies at the University of Helsinki @helsinki.fi, we’ll be sharing our latest research. Stay tuned also for study opportunities and upcoming events, like the annual Aleksanteri Conference!