Ukrainian authorities have arrested two colonels from the State Protection Department, accusing them of conspiring to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials.
The suspects allegedly collaborated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to gather information on the Ukrainian leaders and plan their killings, intending to present the assassinations as a "gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to provide context, commentary and analysis on this matter. If you would like to speak to an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Tayah Frye at [email protected].
International Affairs
Robert Orttung, a research professor of international affairs, is an expert on comparative politics, Russia, Ukraine, energy security, federalism, and democracy. He can discuss Russian politics, Russian-Ukrainian relations and all issues related to urban politics in Eurasia.
Colin Cleary, Professorial Lecturer of U.S. Foreign Policy at GW. Cleary is an expert on Ukraine-Russia dynamics, Europe Energy Security and NATO. Professor Cleary can speak on the great power conflict and national security, NATO’s expansion–especially as it relates to Ukraine, and arms control. In addition to his expertise, Clearly has lived and worked in Kyiv, Moscow, Poland, Romania, Spain and Ireland.
International Security
Alexander Downes, professor of political science and international affairs, is co-director of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at GW. Downes's book Targeting Civilians in War was published by Cornell University Press in 2008 and won the Joseph Lepgold Prize awarded by Georgetown University for the best book in international relations published in that year. Downes has written on a variety of subjects in international security, including civilian victimization, foreign-imposed regime change, military effectiveness, democracy, coercion, alliances, and solutions to civil wars.
Ukraine & Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Henry Hale, professor of political science and international affairs, director of the Elliott School's Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. He has spent extensive time conducting field research in post-Soviet Eurasia and is currently working on identity politics and political system change, with a special focus now on public opinion dynamics in Russia and Ukraine. His work has won two prizes from the American Political Science Association and includes the books The Zelensky Effect and Patronal Politics.
Russia & Vladimir Putin
Thom Shanker is the director of the Project for Media & National Security at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs. He was named director after a nearly quarter-century career with The New York Times, including 13 years as Pentagon correspondent covering the Department of Defense, overseas combat operations and national security policy. Before joining The Times, he was foreign editor of The Chicago Tribune. He spent five years as The Tribune's Moscow correspondent, covering the start of the Gorbachev era to the death of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the communist empire in Eastern Europe.
David Szakonyi, associate professor of political science, is an expert on Russian politics. His research focuses on corruption, clientelism, and political economy in Russia, Western Europe, and the United States. His book -- Politics for Profit: Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia examines why business people run for elected political office worldwide, how their firms perform as a result, and whether individuals with private sector experience make different policy decisions. Other research looks at the effectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns, employers mobilizing their voters to turnout during elections, and nepotism under authoritarian rule.
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