Recent developments and actions of Russia, such as the annexation of Crimea and the support for the separatist troops in Ukraine, are illustrative for the expansive Russian nationalism and foreshadow many more tensions to arise. Since the tragedy of MH17 there has been a renewed focus on the ties between Ukraine and Russia and expansionistic ambitions of Vladimir Putin.
At a time when Russian foreign policy is causing headlines around the world we will discuss the causes of the current crisis in light of historic events. What are the after effects of the Russian Revolution? And what are the historical ties between Ukraine, Russia and the West?
Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. Born in London in 1959, he graduated with a Double-Starred First from Cambridge University, where he was a Lecturer in History and Fellow of Trinity College from 1984 to 1999. He is the author of many books on Russian history, including "A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-192", which in 1997 received the Wolfson Prize, the NCR Book Award, the W.H. Smith Literary Award, the Longman/History Today Book Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The translation of his new book “Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991” was published this summer by Nieuw Amsterdam.