The webinar will be live streamed via YouTube.

The Russian Federation now has the third highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world. What is the impact of COVID-19 on Russia’s domestic politics and its foreign policy?

Bob Deen (Senior Research Fellow Clingendael) will be joined by renowned Russia experts Mark Galeotti (Royal United Services Institute) and Sabine Fischer (German Institute for International and Security Affairs). Clingendael General Director Monika Sie Dhian Ho will open the webinar and will officially launch the Clingendael Russia & Eastern Europe Centre. 

Key questions to discuss will be:

• How is the Kremlin coping with one of the most difficult tests to Vladimir Putin’s presidency to date?
• As the virus and the drop in the oil price both ravage Russia’s economy, how will this influence Moscow’s posture towards the outside world – and its position in a shifting geopolitical landscape?
• Does the common enemy of the virus offer an opportunity for new engagement between Russia and the west, or will alleged disinformation and propaganda campaigns only deepen existing distrust?

Arnout Brouwers, journalist at ‘De Volkskrant’ and author of the book ‘Rodina’ will present a closing column.

This webinar is the first part of a series hosted by the new Clingendael Russia & Eastern Europe Centre (CREEC). In a letter to Parliament, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs recently noted that “knowledge in the Netherlands regarding Russia, the Russian people and Russian language has decreased in the past years”. By establishing the CREEC we bring our expertise together and aim to increase knowledge about Russia and Eastern Europe among Dutch government agencies, businesses and the broader public.

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