Aleksanteri-instituutti - Aleksanteri Institute

08/10/2026

❕Registration for non-presenting attendees ends on 12 October! You can register here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

We are very proud to announce the Keynote Speaker for the opening ceremony: Petr Fiala, Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2021 to 2025.

From 2004 to 2011, Professor Fiala was Rector of Masaryk University, which during that period became the most sought-after Czech university and a major Central European educational and research institution. In his scholarly work, he specializes in comparative and European politics. He is the author of more than 20 books and 300 papers.

Masarykova univerzita Masaryk University is the leading project partner in the Central and Eastern European Security Cooperation Cluster, which co-organizes the Aleksanteri Conference this year.

24/09/2026

Despite huge war-related costs, the Russian economy has yet to collapse. In this piece, Professor Vladimir Gel’man examines why.
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-humanities/news/how-does-authoritarian-russia-adjust-wartime-economic-challenges

Professor Gel'man is one of the main organisers of this year's Aleksanteri Conference, "Mapping Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia: Fault Lines and Frontlines". We warmly welcome everyone interested to follow presentations on latest research on security issues! Registration is open until 12 October: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration

Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies Vladimir Gel’man explains why the Russian economy has not collapsed despite sanctions and massive military spending.

17/09/2026

The programme for the Aleksanteri Conference 2026 has now been published!

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/programme

As a pre-conference event on 20 October, there will be an international seminar in Russian Studies entitled "Ideologies in Russia" in Tampere with Mark Galeotti (Honorary Professor, UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies) as the Keynote Speaker. Read more here: https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau/news-and-events/seminar-ideologies-russia

The detailed programme of the Mapping Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia Conference will be added in September.

04/09/2026

We are very happy to welcome Dr. Nina Græger as one of our Keynote Speakers! She is a distinguished leader and expert in Nordic and European security. She has served, among other roles, as Director of Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Head of the Department of Political Science and Professor of International Relations at Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen. Her recent publications include Handbook of Nordic Cooperation (2025).

The full conference programme will be available in mid-September.
You can register for the conference here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/mapping-security-central-and-eastern-europe-and-eurasia/registration We kindly remind that the registration for presenting participants ends on 7th of September.

12/08/2026

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

04/08/2026

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

17/07/2026

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

10/06/2026

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.

01/06/2026

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!

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...

07/05/2026

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