What happened in the breakaway entities of Donbas in the 2014 – 2022 period and how did the developments in this region constrain the policy options for resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine? Dr Anna Matveeva will present her research into the political, economic, security and social processes that went on in this region, when it found itself in a limbo state: detached from the rest of Ukraine, but not joined with Russia. Developments inside these breakaway regions is an important part of the overall picture of the conflict normally viewed through the geopolitical lens.

This event will take place in Bush House (S), room 2.03.

SPEAKER

Dr Matveeva joined the Russia Institute as a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in 2022. She works as an academic and a practitioner, specialising in conflict and peace studies, peacebuilding and involvement of the post-Soviet citizens in violent extremism at home and abroad, having published extensively on these themes. The geographical remit of her interests covers conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, the Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as Russian policy towards them, while her initial research background is in Afghanistan. Dr Matveeva has worked for the United Nations and lived in Central Asia in her capacity as the UNDP Regional Adviser on Peace and Development.