Aleksanteri-instituutti - Aleksanteri Institute

We have the pleasure to welcome Professor Henry E. Hale as one of our five keynote speakers! He is the Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University, where he also directs the Petrach Program on Ukraine and the The Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES).

Prominent themes in his research, which has won two prizes from the American Political Science Association, include identity politics, political regimes, individual-level political behavior, public opinion on international relations, and health behavior. He is also the chair of the editorial board for the journal Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization.

The full conference programme will be available in September.
You can register for the conference here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

We are excited to introduce another Keynote Speaker of this year's Aleksanteri Conference, "Mapping Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Fault Lines and Frontlines"!

Dr. Kristi Raik is the Director of International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS in Tallinn. Her main areas of expertise are European security, strategic competition in Eastern Europe, EU foreign and security policy, and foreign and security policies of the Baltic states and Finland.

The full conference programme will be available in September.
You can register for the conference here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

Over the summer, we are introducing the keynote speakers for the Aleksanteri Conference 2026, "Mapping Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Fault Lines and Frontlines"!

We are excited to welcome Dr. Polina Sinovets as one of our keynote speakers! She is the Founder and Head of the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP) at Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine. In her research, she has focused on nuclear weapons policy of the US and Russia, nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and European security.

The full conference programme will be available in September.
You can register for the conference here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

Registration for the Aleksanteri Conference 2026 is now open! To register as a presenting or non-presenting participant, please follow the instructions on the conference website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

Early bird registration fee for presenting participants is available 10-30 June.

Warm congratulations to our students for success in the FAREES VIETS/Venäjän- ja Itä-Euroopan tutkimuksen seura ry. MA Thesis Competition!

MAREEES student Sierra Salazar won the award for the best master’s thesis, and MAREEES student Tabea Böing received an honorable mention together with Essi Saborit from Tampere University, who is one of our ExpREES/VIExpert students.

Read more about their research and experience of completing studies at the Aleksanteri Institute in the interview below!

Aleksanteri Institute students recognized for outstanding theses | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki We warmly congratulate our students for success in the FAREES MA Thesis Competition! MAREEES student Sierra Salazar won the award for the best master’s thesis, and MAREEES student Tabea Böing received an honorable mention together with Essi Saborit from Tampere University, who is one of our ExpRE...

The Call for Proposals of the Aleksanteri Conference 2026 has been extended to Friday, 15th of May! You can find the CfP and submit your individual paper, panel, and roundtable proposals here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/call-proposals

We're excited to announce our Keynote Speakers for the Aleksanteri Conference "Mapping Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Fault Lines and Frontlines" on 21-23 October 2026!

Prof. Petr Fiala is a political scientist, politician and a professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Masaryk University in Brno. He served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2021 to 2025.

Dr. Nina Græger is former Director at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Her latest publications include "Handbook of Nordic Cooperation" (2025, Edward Elgar Publishing).

Prof. Henry E. Hale is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University (GW), where he also directs the Petrach Program on Ukraine and the The Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES).

Dr. Kristi Raik is Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs - FIIA and official at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Dr. Polina Sinovets is the Founder and Head of the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP) at Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University (Ukraine). She is the author, co-author of multiple publications on nuclear weapons policy of the US and Russia, nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and European security.

Read more about the Keynote Speakers here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/keynote-speakers

Call for proposals for the Aleksanteri Conference 2026 is open until 7 May: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/call-proposals

The Aleksanteri Conference in 2026 is organised in cooperation with the EU-funded Central and Eastern European Security Cooperation Cluster (CENTREPEACE) project. Read more about the project here: https://centrepeace.cz/

Apply by the 14 April for the nationwide, master's-level minor in Eastern European, Russian and Central Asian and Southern Caucasus Studies! You can find more info in English linked in the comments.

Hae VIExpert-opintoihin 14.4.2026 mennessä | Aleksanteri-instituutti | Helsingin yliopisto VIExpert - tiesi itäisen Euroopan, Venäjän, Keski-Aasian ja Etelä-Kaukasian alueasiantuntijaksi.

In the latest Aleksanteri Insight, Doctoral Researcher Yuliya Brin points out how Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is also fueling gendered violence in Russia. Meanwhile, state policies prioritize fertility over protection of women.

The War Beyond the Front: Domestic Violence and Women’s Rights in Wartime Russia | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine continues, its impact is not limited to the war zone, but it is seeping into domestic spaces, exposing how militarisation, state ideology and gender violence can become interconnected during war.

We now welcome applications for Visiting Fellowships for the academic year 2026-2027!

Visiting Fellows Programme's Call for Proposals and link to the application form here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/aleksanteri-institute/research/visiting-fellows-programme/call-proposals

Please submit your application by 28 March 2026.

Call for proposals | Aleksanteri Institute | University of Helsinki The Aleksanteri Institute welcomes applications for its Visiting Fellowships for the academic year 2026-2027. The Aleksanteri Institute is the Finnish Centre for Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European studies, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Helsinki.