Join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) for an online talk with Igor Zevelev and Jeffrey Mankoff on how Moscow addresses questions surrounding ethnic Russian population in neighboring states. A lingering tension exists between the borders of the Russian Federation and the mental maps of “Russianness” in the minds of many Russians. Moscow has grappled with the question of how to address the issue of ethnic Russians in neighboring states--who often express their loyalty to Russia--in both domestic and foreign policy since 1992. Starting in 2014, the Russian government started changing Russian citizenship law to allow rapid proliferation of Russian citizenship in neighboring states. Will the new citizenship policy become the major instrument of Russian influence in the region? What will be the consequences of the transnational citizenship regime for Russian national identity? Questions such as these will be addressed in the talk.

The talk will be webcast live from the event page.

Speakers:

Igor Zevelev, global fellow, Wilson Center

Jeffrey Mankoff, deputy director and senior fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS