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"The root of the Russo-Ukrainian War is not geopolitical competition, but the multifaceted divergence between Ukraine and Russia over the past 30 years. As Ukraine consolidated a competitive political system and a distinct pro-European identity, Russia reverted back to authoritarianism, refused to a...

"How can Ukraine continue to rally support and challenge rising sentiment that Russia is "unstoppable"? What more can the media do to broaden perspectives and counter disinformation? What can we expect for Ukraine over the next year?"...

Alongside Andrew P. Rasiulis from the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Prof. Popova fielded questions from Canadians regarding the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as recent developments surrounding the death of dissident opposition politician Alexei Navalny....

February 17th, 2024 See the full original article by Saša Petricic here. “As news of her husband’s death shot through the halls of the Munich Security Conference Friday, a composed Yulia Navalnaya took the stage. She said Russian President Vladimir Putin would be punished for what he...

"[Yulia Navalnaya] sounded like she's taking the baton and may be ready to lead the organization," Popova said. Navalny's death means his movement hasn't been "decapitated" after all, given the network of committed activists who helped him in dozens of offices across Russia and with his online campa...

"The Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School held a conversation with Oxana Shevel, Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at Tufts University, and Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University, about their new book, Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Historie...

Popova and Shevel wrestle with a few key issues plaguing the current projects of cultural imperialism spearheaded by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. To this end, as Putin attempts to erase Ukrainian identity, keeping Ukraine’s unique history and culture alive has become ever more important...

Professors Maria Popova and Oxana Shevel chat with Kieran O'Meara and Jennifer English about the factors that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO expansion and ‘westsplaining’, Regime divergence, identity, war fatigue and holding perpetrators of war crimes accountable....

With the second anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine less than a month away, veteran broadcaster Ian Masters looks into the real reasons behind this brutal war against a neighbor’s country, its people and culture and speak with Maria Popova, a Professor of Political Science at McGill Unive...

This workshop [brought] together Ukrainian, (independent) Russian, and international scholars with expertise in political science, economics, law, and international relations to explore, analyze, and discuss regional dimension of Ukraine’s survival and resilience and its post‑war reconstruction....