"In principle Russia. An encounter in 22 terms"

"In Principle Russia. An encounter in 22 terms" is a book published in 2021 by Edition Körber. It was written by the former long-time Director of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung’s Moscow office and a respected expert on Russia, Jens Siegert. Through his differentiated explanations of 22 basic terms, the author paints a complex picture of Russia's history, society, culture and politics.

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law, marks a turning point for the European security architecture. However, Putin's neo-imperial and brutal policies were already a reality long before 24 February 2022. The dangers of the increasingly repressive and aggressively revanchist regime under President Putin were ignored by many Western governments for years. What are the reasons for the misjudgements and failures of many Western governments with regard to their policy towards Russia? What historical aspects must we take into account in a critical stocktaking? What conclusions and lessons must the EU draw from the failures over many years?

In a conversation with Inna Berezkina, Sergey Lagodinsky and Stefanie Harter, Jens Siegert discusses the basic messages of his book and which images of Russia, which traditions of speaking about Russia in the EU continue to be valid or need an urgent and critical revision.

Programme

17:00 Welcome by Eva van de Rakt, Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union, Brussels

17:05 Book presentation and panel discussion with:

• Jens Siegert, Journalist, Moscow
• Inna Berezkina, Moscow School of Civic Education, Vilnius/Riga
• Sergey Lagodinsky, Member of the European Parliament and Group Spokesperson on Russia (The Greens/EFA), Brussels

Moderation: Stefanie Harter, Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Moscow, Berlin

18:00 Q&A

18:30 Reception

Venue: L42, Rue de la Loi 42, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

Please register here before 13 June 2022, EOB.

Interpretation: English and German

Contact person: Anna Trzcińska