Russia-Ukraine conflict

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to have a far-reaching global impact, from inflation and increasing gas prices to humanitarian and health challenges. Penn State has faculty experts who can help put what is happening into context, including explaining the social, political, religious and economic forces that led to this conflict. They can also give perspective on how this war will impact the Russian and Ukrainian citizens and economies for generations to come.

  • Lena Surzhko-Harned

    Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science

    Politics & Policy

  • Dermot Groome

    Harvey A. Feldman Distinguished Faculty Scholar

    Law and Policy

  • Sascha Meinrath

    Palmer Chair in Telecommunications

    Law and Policy, Telecommunications, Internet & Technology

  • Steve Tracey

    Professor of Practice in the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems

    Business

​Penn State has a wide range of faculty experts who are readily available to give insight on the evolving and ongoing economic, political, cultural and legal impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

  • Penn State Dickinson Law professor Dermot Groome is a former international prosecutor who has been on the ground working in the border region of Poland/Ukraine advising Ukrainian prosecutors investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
  • Sascha Meinrath, the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications, sits on the board of Brave New Software, the parent company of internet censorship circumvention tool Lantern, which has seen a spike in downloads from Russia since the conflict began. Meinrath can speak to issues of online government censorship and cybersecurity.
  • Experts on the shifting dynamics of politics and religion in Eastern Europe can speak about the cultural history between Russia and Ukraine, the political climate, the main political players and the impact of the conflict on Ukrainians of varying generations.
Lena  Surzhko-Harned

Lena Surzhko-Harned

Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science,
Associate Director, The Public Policy Initiative at Penn State Behrend

Expertise:

  • Politics & Policy

Focus Areas:

  • Politics

Contact Lena Surzhko-Harned with questions about: The history between Russia and Ukraine, including the political climate, and how the conflict could impact future generations of Ukrainians.

Dermot Groome

Dermot Groome

Harvey A. Feldman Distinguished Faculty Scholar

Expertise

  • Law and Policy

Focus Areas:

  • International Criminal Law

Contact Dermot Groome with questions about: Prosecuting crimes that occur amid conflict.

Sascha Meinrath

Sascha Meinrath

Palmer Chair in Telecommunications,
Director of the X-Lab

Expertise:

  • Law and Policy
  • Telecommunications
  • Internet & Technology

Focus Areas:

  • Cybersecurity
  • Technology Policy
  • Election Hacking
  • Privacy
  • Surveillance
  • Artificial Intelligence

Contact Sascha Meinrath with questions about: How surveillance, cybersecurity, and privacy have changed in a post-9/11 world; government policy; broadband; and the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Internet connectivity. He can also comment on voting security, technology policy, privacy, surveillance, civil liberties, broadband mapping and artificial intelligence.

Steve Tracey

Steve Tracey

Professor of Practice in the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems,
Executive Director for Center Supply Chain Research and Penn State Executive Programs

Expertise

  • Business

Focus Areas:

  • Supply Chain and Information Systems

Contact Steve Tracey with questions about: how the Russia-Ukraine conflict has impacted the global supply chain.

Need help finding an expert?

Penn State expertise spans far beyond those that we have currently featured on the site. Call us at 814-865-7517 or contact a member of the media relations staff

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