Navigating Change in Russia’s Contested Neighborhood

Thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine marked a historical juncture for countries beyond Ukraine and Russia. The war has reverberated across neighboring regions, making states in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia feel deeply insecure. As such, it has ended the notion of the “Near Abroad”—the idea that Russia enjoys a special status in much of the post-Soviet space.

But rather than disengaging from Moscow, Russia’s neighbors have sought to rebalance their relationships to their advantage, with increased trade and connectivity.

To discuss what is next for this contested neighborhood, Carnegie Europe invites you to a debate with Thomas de Waal, author of the recent publication “The End of the Near Abroad,” and Alissa de Carbonnel, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia program at the International Crisis Group. The Washington Post's David M. Herszenhorn will moderate.

A light reception will follow.