External Events

We promote events pertaining to Russia and Eurasia that are conducted in the Boston area and online. Please check out the links below for more information about upcoming events at affiliated institutions. Scroll further to find information about upcoming external events that might be of interest to the Fletcher community.

Please check out the list below to find events about Russia and Eurasia organized by affiliated institutions.

Greater Boston Area

Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
On the Cusp: Ivan Levynskyi and Building the City of Lions
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM ET
Levynskyi, a professor at the city’s Polytechnic, was a Ukrainian by birth and at the center of a cosmopolitan professional milieu—training and collaborating with a generation of Polish architects commissioned for projects by Austro-German or Jewish clients and navigating through a sociopolitical arena contested by competing emerging nationalisms. This “city symphony” film, accompanied by a lecture and discussion, traces a remarkable life and legacy that ended tragically during the violent aftermath of the First World War and offers not only compelling visuals of Lviv’s splendid architectural heritage, but also provocative reflections by city residents, scholars, and other observers on memory, identity, and the politics of place-making. Register here.

Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
Atoms for Peace at the Time of War: Lessons from the Frontlines of Ukraine
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM ET
On February 24, 2022, the first day of Russia’s all-out attack on Ukraine, armored vehicles approached the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. Russian occupation of the plant, which would last thirty-five days, had begun. Only the dedication and resolve of Ukrainian personnel, who were held hostage and worked shifts for weeks instead of days, spared the world a new Chernobyl accident. Meanwhile, a much more dangerous situation developed at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the largest such facility in Europe. Following an attack there in March 2022, the Russian military remains in control. In this lecture Serhii Plokhii discusses the challenges that the Russian takeover of the nuclear sites presents to the world. We must face up to a new reality: there has already been warfare at two nuclear sites, and others are vulnerable. The lecture is based on Plokhii’s most recent book, Chernobyl Roulette (2024). Register here.

Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
Accountability and Social Media Engagement of Charitable Organizations in Ukraine during the War
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM ET
This talk examines the evolving landscape of accountability in Ukrainian charitable organizations, with a focus on the impact of social media engagement during times of crisis. In Ukraine, 86% of the population has consistently engaged in charitable activities since 2022. In contrast, 64% of Americans made charitable donations in 2023. This high level of charitable engagement in Ukraine is particularly notable, given the urgent need to fund the military and support those affected by the ongoing war. Social media has been extensively utilized for both charity fundraising and reporting/accountability. There is a need to understand the dynamic interaction between the charity, its donors, and the broader public, emphasizing the role of dialogic accountability in maintaining transparency and trust. Using the Serhii Prytula Charity Fund as a case study, Dr. Iermolenko will analyze how the emotive power of accounting on social media can help charities foster meaningful conversations, improve decision-making, and ensure effective accountability. Register here.

Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
When Soft Power Turns Hard: Cancel-Culture Controversy During the Russian-Ukrainian War
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM ET
The 2022 unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine evoked nearly universal international condemnation but got much less unanimous response in more practical terms of political, economic, and other sanctions. Many countries, especially in the so-called ‘Global South,’ refused to introduce any measures against the aggressor state for various reasons and under different pretexts. Culture appeared to be the most controversial field, where even the Western democracies, rather unanimous in their response to the Russian assault, failed to achieve any consensus on suitable measures and policies vis-à-vis the rogue state. While virtually nobody questions the need of sanctions against the specific persons and institutions that support the war, the wholesale rejection of Russian culture and cancelling of its iconic figures is often vehemently denied. The lecture will delve into the essence of these debates, trying to represent different rationales and opposite arguments but also to answer a more fundamental question: To what degree and in which way a seemingly innocent, apolitical cultural ‘soft power’ contributes to the militant ‘hard power’ of the aggressor state during the war. Register here.

Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
Displacement, Emplacement, and Reintegration: IDP Experiences, 2014-2021
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM ET
This presentation explores the question of how anthropologists must navigate the context of war to continue to do research. Dr. Emily Channell-Justice will describe the process of developing her current research on internal displacement in Ukraine since 2014, which was then disrupted by the full-scale invasion. She will discuss data sources that make up this project and pose questions about ethical research during ongoing hostilities. The lecture will also explore the possibilities of collaborative work that may strengthen the research process and improve its conclusions. Register here.

Davis Center
Crucibles of Power: Smolensk Under Stalinist and Nazi Rule
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | 4:30 – 6:00 PM ET
During the Cold War, the Smolensk Archive held the only collection of Soviet Communist Party documents available to Western scholars, becoming the foundation for generations of scholarship on Soviet history. This seminar returns to the Smolensk Region with fresh eyes and fresh sources, reassessing the experiences of Smolensk residents in the 1930s and 1940s, a period during which the city and region passed from Stalinist rule to Nazi occupation and back. The seminar focuses on individual and collective choice and power under dueling forms of murderous totalitarianism. Register here.