Events

17 March Putin is scheduled to be elected president of the Russian Federation for yet another six years in office, in spite of launching a devastating war against Ukraine and letting oppositional politician Alexei Navalny die in prison. Putin will be the eighth president of Russia since the fall of communism, but he was also the seventh, the sixth, the fourth and the third. Since the start of this millennium he has ruled the country in an increasingly authoritarian way. Elections in Russia have since become a farce, a kind of political theatre or circus that has little to do with democracy. The field of candidates is tightly controlled, opposition politicians sidelined, jailed or murdered and the election results are falsified. How did this come about? When was democracy lost in Russia – or was it perhaps an empty letter from the very start? What purposes do elections serve in Russia's political system if not the election of the country's leaders? On March 13 the IISH and the Moscow Times jointly organize an event to reflect on Russia's presidential elections, past, present and future. With presentations by Gijs Kessler and Mikhail Fishman, followed by a panel discussion with Samantha Berkhead, Alexander Gubsky, and Kristina Petrasova.

Given the current geo-political situation, have you wondered which philosophers influenced Putin's perspective on Russia? Additionally, what alternatives does Russian thought offer to his "Russian World" ideology? Come explore the religious-philosophical sources which contribute to this discussion and the role of religion in present-day Russia, by joining the course Russian Religious Philosophy in the Silver Age.

On Friday 16 June 2023, the Institute for Eastern Christian Studies (IvOC) celebrates the first anniversary of the Platform Oosters Christendom. There is a uniquely interactive programme designed around the theme “Orthodoxy on the move”, complete with short seminars and a panel discussion with renowned speakers.