Vanja Lerch Eriksson
Praktikant
Vanja Lerch Eriksson is an intern at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) during autumn 2026.
At SCEEUS, Vanja divides her time between analytical work, primarily focused on Russian military developments and Russia’s war in Ukraine, external environment analysis and communications.
Vanja is currently studying a master’s program in Russian and Eurasian studies at Uppsala University and additionally hold a bachelor’s degree in Peace- and Conflict studies from Uppsala University. During her time in the bachelor’s program, she took an exchange semester at Sciences Po Paris and did an internship at Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). While at UCDP, Vanjas primary task was to process data on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Alongside her studies Vanja also works at the Royal Swedish Academy of War Science and am a board member in the Swedish Defense Association.

Publikationer

Fading Power? The EU’s Strategic Dilemmas in the South Caucasus

Where does Russia stand after four years of full-scale war?

Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan: What TRIPP can and cannot achieve

Five Wars and a Funeral: How the conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran broke Russia’s Middle East Policy
Iran’s first-ever SCO military exercise solidifies ties with China and Russia

The Future Russian Way of War Part 4: Hybrid tools

China–Russia military cooperation targeting Taiwan could link the European and Asia–Pacific theaters

Russia’s exceptionality and the root causes of the war

The Future Russian Way of War – Part 1: State Mobilisation

Despite falling oil and car shipments dragging down headline trade figures, China remains central to sustaining Russia’s economy and war effort in 2025

China and Russia are using the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to push alternative global order

China’s limited role in Ukraine’s reconstruction: expectations, constraints and strategic opportunities

The Prospects of Moldova’s EU Accession With or Without a Defined Status of the Transnistrian Region

China-Russia trade: asymmetrical, yet indispensable

China-Russia alignment – a shared vision, without fully seeing eye to eye

What is at Stake Now?

A Redynamised EU Enlargement Process, but Hovering Between Accession and the Alternatives
The bad, the good, and the ugly of Moldova’s recent elections

Sino-Russian Cooperation in the Arctic: Implications for Nordic Countries and Recommended Policy Responses

Is Civil Society Still Alive in Russia?

The Security Dilemma of the Eastward EU Enlargement

EU Adopts Negotiating ‘Frameworks’ for Ukraine and Moldova: The Starting Gun for the Accession Process

Can Europe Stand Alone in Supporting Ukraine? Scaling up the Defence Industry and Funding Defence Production

Decoding Russian Nuclear Rhetoric – and How NATO Should Respond

Fear and Laughter at Russia’s Attempts at Nuclear Blackmail in Ukraine

Navigating Shifting Tides: China’s Advance, Russia’s Retreat, and the Evolving Power Dynamics in the South Caucasus

Lev Rubinstein: The Death of a Poet in Russia Today

In lieu of an audience-friendly poem about violence. A personal reflection for the Stockholm Conference on Belarus

It Is High Time for the West to Think About Belarus

Culture as a Battlefield: Belarus’s Struggle Over Culture and Identity

The Phenomenon of Belarus: How to Build a Better Future

The Union State: Belarus’ Increasing Dependence on Russia and the Risk of Sovereignty Erosion, 2020-2023

The ICT Sector in Belarus: From Growth to Contraction

Ukraine-Belarus Relations in the Shadow of War

Belarusian Civil Society Inside and Outside of the Country

What Is Wrong With the West’s Belarus Policy?

Avoiding Misplaced Fatalism: What Explains Belarusian Scepticism of European Integration?

2024 Parliamentary Elections in Belarus: Ending the Democratic Illusion and Formalizing Personalized Authoritarianism

EU Enlargement Issues for the Next Commission

The Three Pillars of the EU:s New Enlargement Agenda

What Is Behind the Myth of Putin’s “Contract”?

Why the Russo-Ukrainian War Started Already in February 2014

Alexei Navalny and the Long Tradition of Moral Defiance Against Tyranny in Russia

Russia and Africa’s Middle Powers: Influence beyond the Wagner Group

What Will Happen After the War? Historical Models for the Future of Northern Eurasia

Ukraine and the EU Budget – A Tale of Two Narratives: The Manageable Versus The Alarmist

Quo Vadis Georgia?

No Time to Waste: Moldova’s Quest to Open EU Accession Negotiations

The 2023 Enlargement Package – Major Political Proposals and Glimmers of a Staged Accession Approach

Could Russia Fall Apart?

Russia’s 2023 September Elections: A Dress Rehearsal for Vladimir Putin

EU Economic Assistance to Ukraine After the Full-Scale Russian Invasion: Scope, Impact and Ways for Improvement

Scorched by War: A Report on the Current Language Situation in Ukraine

A Brotherhood in Arms?

EU Defense Cooperation With Ukraine

Four Challenges Facing a Ukrainian-Russian Truce. Part IV: Two Strategic Challenges

No Longer a Mésalliance: How Well Prepared Are NATO and Ukraine for Each Other?

The Positive Organizational Culture of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Use of Civilian Drones in the War Against Russia

It Takes Two to Tango – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia Advance Over the EU’s Conditions, While the EU Itself Prevaricates

Anti-corruption Reform in Ukraine After Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion

Crimea: Overview of Current Conditions and Action Plan For De-occupation

The War, Sanctions, and Russian Oil and Gas

EU Sanctions Against Russia: Coherence and Efficiency during the Large-Scale Invasion of Ukraine. A Ukrainian Assessment

Silencing the Voice of a Nation: Belarus’ Descent Into Totalitarianism

Nordic-Ukrainian Summit of Leaders

Ukraine’s Alarming Demographics

The Kremlin’s Nationalist Utopia

Ukraine: Preparation for the EU Accession Process

Four Challenges Facing a Ukrainian-Russian Truce. Part II: Two Domestic Blind Alleys

Georgia: The End of Illusions and Need for Clarity

Ukrainian Armed Forces: a Year of Fighting Russia

Key Expectations and Deliverables of the Upcoming EPC Summit in Moldova

From Invasion to Recovery: Evaluating the Macroeconomic Implications of Russia’s War in Ukraine and the Way Forward
The Reconstruction of Ukraine: Historical Parallels and the Role of the EU

Domestic Political Developments in Wartime Ukraine since February 2022

The War Against Ukraine: A Game Changer for the Region and the EU’s External Policy
Equipping Ukraine for the Long Haul: A Role for Swedish JAS Gripen?

The Prospects for Belarus in 2023 in the Light of Russia’s War in Ukraine: The Future Is Not Set in Stone

Beware the Stalemate: How the Illusion of a Freeze Is Delaying and Deferring Western Resolve in Support of Ukraine

The Belarusian Economy Under Sanctions Since the Start of Russia’s War in Ukraine

The EU Cannot Afford Not to Support Ukraine Financially

Learning From Crisis: Civil Society, Resilience and the EU’s Eastern Neighbours

Laying the Groundwork for Ukraine’s Recovery and Reconstruction

Supporting Belarusian Democracy: Five Priorities for the EU

The Impressive EU-Ukraine Summits – Alongside the Inadequate Enlargement Methodology

Candidate Status – Georgia at the Crossroads

On the Future of the EU’s Approach to Eastern Europe

The EU-Ukraine Security & Defence Cooperation: Think Bigger, Act Bolder

The Reconstruction Process in Ukraine

The European Union’s New Eastern Policy: Striking a Balance Between Security, Democracy and Prosperity

Stepping up EU Support for Ukraine: A Win-Win Situation

EU Eastern Enlargement: Preparing for Current and Future Threats Through Inclusive Crisis Management and Resilient Critical Infrastructure

Nine Lessons for the West About Ending Russia’s War on Ukraine in 2023

Dead Water: How the Russian Security Services’ Paranoid Mindset Justifies the War

Supporting Ukraine’s Victory, Success and European Integration as a Safeguard to Europe’s Future Security, Prosperity and Resilience

The Eastern Partnership Countries and the Influx of Russian Citizens Following Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Steps to be Taken by the EU

The $300 Billion Question – How to get Russia to Pay for Ukraine’s Reconstruction

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Lessons for the Effective Defence of Eastern Partnership Countries

Making Resilience a Keystone of European Enlargement

How to Promote Engagement by European and Ukrainian Local and Regional Authorities in Ukraine’s Post-war Reconstruction

Safeguard Georgia’s European Choice

Next Steps for EU Enlargement – Forwards or Backwards?

The New Reality in Europe: Time to Reshape the Eastern Partnership

Financing Ukraine’s Victory and Recovery: For the War and Beyond

Media Freedom is Essential for Georgia’s Path to EU Candidate Status

No Stable EU Without a New Eastern Enlargement

EU-Azerbaijani Economic Relations: New Perspectives and Opportunities

Beyond the Eastern Partnership: The Time has Arrived for a New Policy in the East of Europe

How to Prevent Ukraine’s EU Accession Process from Slipping into the Western Balkan Trap

Time to Downgrade the Eastern Partnership and Refocus on Enlargement

The Future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Policy: “Back to the Basics and Value Origins”

Belarus Since the Rigged Presidential Elections

What North Korea Might Gain From Russia’s Invasion Attempt

Ending the Schwarzer Tango with Moscow: The Freedom Party of Austria and the Embrace of Neutralism

Reflections on Possible Russian- Ukrainian Agreements: Tragic Dilemmas and No Cause for Optimism

Narrating Disinformation: The Templates for Kremlin Lies
The Future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Policy: “Everything but Institutions”

International Law and Accountability in Relation to the Protracted Conflicts in Eastern Europe

Shifting Geopolitical Realities in the South Caucasus

Georgia and the Russian Aggression

Conflict-Solving Mechanisms and Negotiation Formats for Post-Soviet Protracted Conflicts: A Comparative Perspective

Russian Interests in Afghanistan
The Transnistrian Conflict: 30 Years Searching for a Settlement

The June 2021 US-Russian Summit: An Analysis






















































































Ukrainian-Georgian relations: All love lost?