Political analyst to speak on Putin’s Russia

LAWRENCE — Andrei Piontkovsky, a Russian political analyst and a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, will present “Putin’s Russia as a Revanchist Power” at 7 p.m. today in 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.

Piontkovsky has been a consistent critic of Putin’s “managed” democracy and is a regular political commentator for the BBC World Service and for Radio Liberty in Moscow. He has authored several books about Putin’s presidency, the most recent being "Another Look into Putin's Soul." Piontkovsky was also one of the first people to sign the online anti-Putin declaration, “Putin Must Go,” which was published March 10, 2010. Piontkovsky writes regularly for Novaya Gazeta, the Moscow Times and the Russia Journal, as well as the online journals Grani.ru and Transitions Online.

Mariya Omelicheva, director of the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies (CREES), noted the importance of Piontkovsky’s work. “Andrey Pointkovsky can offer us critical insights into the mind of Vladimir Putin and other elites in the leadership of Russia. Given the current strained relations between the West and Russia, this is vitally important as the U.S. tries to devise a strategy to re-engage with Russia and bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.”

CREES, the Honors Program and the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications are hosting the program.

For more information on Piontkovsky and his upcoming talk, visit the CREES website or email crees@ku.edu.