From the Arctic, with Angst: Considering the Unintended Consequences of Russia's War on Ukraine

* Note time change to 6 PM. *

Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 harms the people and territories of Ukraine the most, but the ripples of concern, shock and fear about Russia’s actions continue to reach outwards to other regions and affect geopolitical thinking and decision-making.

The Arctic is one international arena concerned about future competition instead of cooperation. Decades-long cooperation among the eight Arctic states — USA, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia — is currently stalled due to Russia’s war, leading to large and potentially lasting consequences for urgent matters requiring circumpolar collaboration, such as climate change, regional security, and Indigenous wellbeing. 

Russia’s turn away from cooperation with Western nations in the Arctic is creating angst around the Arctic about what may come next, militarily, geopolitically, and socioeconomically. This talk discusses such concerns as the unintended, yet quite real, consequences of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

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Jessica Graybill is a Geographer and a Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies working closely with and for individuals and communities to address energy, climate, and cultural changes in Russia and the Arctic. 

Jessica has become an expert on sustainability after spending 20+ years working with inter- and transdisciplinary partners to understand how multiple actors co-create environments, livelihoods, and possible futures. 

She knows that investigating issues such as sociopolitical, energy, and climate change-induced transformations of post-socialist, urban, and remote regions requires integrating various kinds of data and using interdisciplinary approaches, especially when working with local and Indigenous communities. 

Jessica is bilingual in English and Russian and is the Editor-in-Chief of Polar Geography.