Freedom of Speech and Dissent in Russia: Why Citizens are Silenced with Dr. Nina Wieda

As Russia's war on Ukraine continues, people worldwide wonder why Russian citizens allow senseless violence to go on. This seminar explains how Putin's government suppresses and manipulates public opinion in Russia by employing a combination of repressive and mind-control methods. Our conversation will feature several of today's bravest Russian dissidents, who risk it all to tell the truth.

Drawing on the most recent examples from the Ukrainian conflict, we will look at examples of the most creative ways Russian citizens have tried to get around censorship and express their opinions. Finally, we'll place today's repressive methods in the historical context, comparing them with the "openness" (glastnost') policy of the 1990s and the long tradition of censorship and ideological repression that came before then. 

Led by an expert on Russia, Nina Wieda, this conversation will illuminate today's informational war in Russia and its impact on Russia's citizens. Participants will come away with an increased understanding of how censorship and propaganda became so powerful and all-encompassing in Russia.