4 september, 2026
A new conference format for understanding Russia’s domestic development
Photo: SCEEUS
Where is Russia going as a society? A new conference format for understanding Russia’s domestic development by bringing together academic research, policymakers and practitioners in the Stockholm archipelago.
What if an academic conference were organised around the urgent questions we need answered about Russia today, and brought together the researchers, analysts and practitioners who each hold part of the answer? That was the idea behind a conference organised by the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), its European Expert Talks on Russia project, and CBEES at Södertörn University, with support from the European Union and The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies. From 24 to 26 August, around 100 participants from 20 countries gathered in the Stockholm archipelago to discuss new, evidence-based research on Russian society and domestic developments. Topics ranged from civil society, public opinion and the upcoming Duma elections to transnational repression, ethnic and linguistic repression, media, propaganda, and other ongoing transformations within the Russian Federation.
The conference was structured around relevant analytical questions, bringing together experts who could illuminate different aspects of the same issue. New data and practical evidence were presented in focused roundtables, followed by discussions on what we know, what the evidence suggests, and where important knowledge gaps remain. One session focused specifically on how closer cooperation between academia and policy research could help address those gaps.The most striking feature of the conference was the quality of the new empirical data collected by different individuals and projects around the world, often with innovative methods, and the discussions it generated. It was particularly encouraging to see the potential of a roundtable format that uses data-driven academic research to help answer the questions policymakers and practitioners are grappling with today.
