An informative afternoon: CISS’s event on “Russia and its Invisible Puppet States”
On June 25th, CISS’s co-director for ‘Eastern Europe to Central Asia’ Lance Bradley hosted and moderated the event “Russia and its Invisible Puppet States” at the Gesellschaft für Europabildung in Berlin. Our attendees got to hear an in-depth introduction to the so-called “People’s Republics” in Eastern Ukraine by Nikolaus von Twickel (Zentrum Liberale Moderne) with important insights on agency in these regions vis-à-vis the Kremlin. Keith Harrington from Maynooth University presented (virtually) his expertise on Transnistria and also spoke about the role of separatism and minority voting blocks on domestic politics in Moldova, as well as in relation to broader Russian foreign policy and the war in Ukraine. Following both presentations, an engaging and fruitful discussion ensued around European policy towards de facto states, their parent states, and their patron in Moscow. Thank you to all guests and attendees for a memorable experience!
