Where is Russia headed? Public opinion and a silent opposition

Note: The event will take place in Jekteviksbakken 31.
It is also possible to join through Zoom.
Breakfast will be served.

Russian independent polling agencies report high levels of support for President Putin, even after the invasion of Ukraine and the military mobilisation. How reliable are these polls? Life in Russia has not been more restricted since the end of the Soviet Union, with the arrests of political opponents, closing the offices of independent media, and fines for criticising the government.

The freedoms of the Russian population are eroding. The number of people who truly support Putin is unknown but can be the “make it or break it” for the future of Russia.

Is it at all possible to estimate Russian popular support for Putin’s regime? Is there room for opposition and critical thinking? And how can a re-democratisation process of Russia come about?

In this breakfast meeting, Kyle Lohse Marquardt will share his research on variation in support for President Vladimir Putin, and Irina Anisimova will talk about the Russian opposition movement. Martin Paulsen will moderate the conversation.

Panel:

Irina Anisimova
is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Foreign Languages at UiB. Her research focuses on the connection between contemporary Russian culture, media, and politics.

Kyle Marquardt
is an associate professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen. His research focuses on issues of identity and public opinion in the former Soviet Union.

Martin Paulsen
is head of department at the Department of Foreign Languages at UiB. He works with Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian languages and culture.

Photo:
Valery Tenevoy, Unsplash