Russia
Understanding the Rise of Russia’s New Nationalism
How does the idea of Eurasianism influence modern Russia? We will be joined by a panel, including Charles Clover author of Black Wind, White Snow: The Rise of Russia’s New Nationalism, to explore this theory of Russian national identity based on ethnicity and geography.
GRANTA: The Legacy of Communism – From the Donbass to Old Bucharest
Last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but the legacy of war and communism lives on in eastern Europe. To mark the launch of the new issue of Granta – No Man’s Land – contributors Peter Pomerantsev and Philip Ó Ceallaigh will be taking us from the front line of the propaganda war in Ukraine’s Donbass region to the devastating story of the Communist destruction of Old Bucharest.
Power, Politics & Performance in Russia: “Doctor” + Q&A
The Frontline Club and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Sputnik Theatre present four nights of new Russian drama. Featuring exciting and topical plays by British theatre directors and cast – each evening will touch upon various aspects of life in Russia covering an array of issues, from the clampdown on theatre and freedom of speech to growing social tensions and immigration.
The play Doctor is one of the longest running productions of Teatr.doc, the famous studio theatre in Moscow which was supported by Tom Stoppard amongst other prominent British voices when facing closure in 2014. The staged reading will be followed by a discussion with artistic director of Teatr.doc, Elena Gremina, in conversation with senior international correspondent for The Guardian, Luke Harding.
The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries
On the eighth floor of an ordinary-looking building in an otherwise residential district of southwest Moscow, in a room occupied by the Federal Security Service (FSB), is a box the size of a VHS player marked SORM. The Russian government’s front line in the battle for the future of the Internet, SORM is the world’s most intrusive listening device – monitoring e-mails, Internet usage, Skype, and all social networks.
In a new book, The Red Web, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan peel back the history of advanced surveillance systems in Russia. They will be joining us to discuss what they found and to reveal how a free global exchange can be coerced into becoming a tool of repression and geopolitical warfare.
Khodorkovsky: A Decade Behind Bars
October will mark the tenth year that Mikhail Khodorkovsky has spent behind bars. Once Russia’s richest and most successful businessman, he was arrested and imprisoned a decade ago, on charges that many regard as politically motivated. We will be examining the Khodorkovsky case and, following the charges against Alexei Navalny, we will be looking at the wider issue of imprisonment of opposition figures in Russia.
Russia’s surveillance state
The surveillance culture in Russia is well documented. In the digital age as we see more protests on the streets of Moscow and elsewhere the FSB (the successor to the KGB) are developing new surveillance technologies. We will be joined by those involved in a new project called Russia’s Surveillance State and other experts to discuss the surveillance practices in Russia and how they are developing.
FULLY BOOKED Insight with Anne Applebaum: Iron Curtain
American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with author, journalist and columnist for The Times, Oliver Kamm to talk about the journey taken in her new book Iron Curtain and the lessons that can be learned from that brutal period in history.
FULLY BOOKED Russia: Another six years of Vladimir Putin?
Vladimir Putin is back in presidential office for a third term after four years as Russia’s Prime Minister. We will be asking what the people of Russia think of the man who has dominated the country’s politics for more than 12 years and will now be President for a new extended term of six years?
Tens of thousands of Muscovites have taken part in protests to demand free and fair elections. But how deep and how far does the disaffectedness go? Join us to discuss the outcome of the presidential elections in Russia and what they mean for the future of the people of Russia and its development on the world stage.
FULLY BOOKED Russia – A mafia state?
In 2007 Luke Harding arrived in Moscow to take up a new job as a correspondent for The Guardian. Not long after, mysterious agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, broke into his flat. He was followed, bugged, and even summoned to Lefortovo, the FSB’s notorious prison.
Luke Harding will be joined by a panel at the Frontline Club to discuss his experiences as The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent and what they tell us about Russia today.
Insight with David E. Hoffman: Reagan, Gorbachev and the Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race
David E. Hoffman, who worked for 27 years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post, will be at the Frontline Club to discuss the relationship between US president Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the dying days of the Cold War.
Fully Booked- The New Nobility: Russia’s Secret Services Revealed
The FSB, Russia’s replacement for the KGB, has accumulated powerful backers and increasing authority ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Co-authors of a new book entitled The New Nobility, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, will be at the Frontline Club to discuss Russia’s shadowy security services with Susan Richards of Open Democracy.
First Wednesday: The “war on terror” are Russia and the West now on the same side?
Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House returns to his seat for another First Wednesday at the Frontline Club.
Like a public meeting, the emphasis of First Wednesday events is on discussion, bringing together experts and commentators on a wide range of issues with lots of opportunity to ask questions and contribute from the floor.
FULLY BOOKED Londongrad: From Russia With Cash
Mark Hollingsworth, and Stewart Lansley will be at the Frontline Club to talk about their investigation into the extraordinary lifestyles of the Russian oligarchs who built vast personal fortunes in Russia and moved to the UK following the dissolution of the Soviet Union to spend them, aided by generous tax laws. What have been the consequences of this move of the super-rich to the capital and of Britain’s remarkable compliance in the transfer of wealth from Russia?
On the Media: Myth and reality in Russian journalism
Join us for a discussion with eminent Russian media experts Oleg Panfilov and Manana Aslamazyan that will examine the reality of the Russian media and the possibilities for genuinely investigative and critical journalism.
Insight: Russia Resurgent?
Recent events in the Caucasus have highlighted the growing self-confidence of a newly resurgent Russia, that appears to be seeking to revive much of the old Soviet influence at home and abroad.
Should the West accept that Russia will continue to dominate in its sphere of influence or does it pose a renewed threat to Nato and its allies? And does the West have double-standards when it comes to dealing with Russia?
Media Talk – All Change in the Caucasus
After the recent conflict in the Caucasus and Russia’s recognition of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, Russia continues to defy the West and the pledges made in the ceasefire agreement, by planning to keep about 8000 troops in the region.
Is the West being hypocritical in refusing to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, after its recent support and recognition of Kosovo’s independence? Should Georgia be encouraged to join NATO? And how concerned should we be over the frosty relationship that’s developing between Russia and the West?
Insight with Edward Lucas – Russia and the West – the New Cold War? – FULLY BOOKED
Edward Lucas, the Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for The Economist, talks about Russia’s increasing military muscle, its use of energy politics to pursue its international agenda and the affect of a resurgent Kremlin on the rest of the world.
Media Talk – Russia after the Elections: the Power Behind the Throne
With Vladimir Putin due to leave his post after the Russian presidential elections in May, our panel discusses how Russia will be run and who will run it.
Media Talk: Russia – Cold War II?
A year after Anna Politkovskaya’s murder and the beginning of the Litvinenko affair and with just five months to go before presidential elections, Russia’s relations with Britain and other western countries are increasingly strained.
Frontline Confidential – Beslan: Has the truth been told?
Writer Timothy Phillips talks about Beslan three years after the terrible tragedy there. He looks at whether the small tight-knit community been able to overcome the shock of what happened and questions whether we will ever find out the truth about the events of September 2004.
Insight with Marina Litvinenko and Alex Goldfarb: Alexander and the Russian Secret Service – FULLY BOOKED
The widow of the FSB defector Alexander Litvinenko and his best friend talk about the realities of the Russian secret service and share their thoughts on who is responsible for his poisoning.
Insight with Boris Berezovsky: Putting one over Putin
Boris Berezovsky, the Russian dissident-businessman, discusses the plot to end Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s rule.