Ukraine-Russia Crisis

A member of the Ukrainian army helps civilians evacuate from Irpin.

Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Expert analysis and commentary on the conflict by Stanford scholars.

The International Working Group on Russian Sanctions

We have convened a working group of independent, international experts to recommend new economic and other measures to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. This group aims to provide expertise and experience to governments and companies around the world by assisting with the formulation of sanctions proposals that will increase the cost to Russia of invading Ukraine, and support democratic Ukraine in the defense of its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Learn More

— LATEST FROM THE DIRECTOR —

Read op-eds, watch congressional testimony, and listen to interviews with FSI Director Michael McFaul.

Washington Post Op-Eds

Congressional Testimony

Stephen Colbert Interview

Analysis and Commentary

The Pentagon, home of the U.S. Department of Defense, in Washington D.C.

Everything About the Ukraine Leak Is Incredibly Weird

U.S. national security and intelligence expert Amy Zegart weighs in on the unusual circumstances of Jack Teixeira's release of highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine and other global security issues.

Ukrainian forces test drive a repaired Russian tank in the Kharkiv region on September 26 2022.

Arming Ukraine Without Crossing Russia’s Red Lines

Ukraine's supporters should feel more confident about providing it with additional military help, because Russia's red lines are much less stringent than some in the West believe, argues Steven Pifer.

President Biden shakes hands with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Why All Americans Have a Stake in What Happens in Ukraine Next

There are powerful reasons — both moral and self-interested — for the U.S. to stay the course and help Ukraine, says Michael McFaul

A member of the Ukrainian armed forces holds the flag of Ukraine during a flag raising ceremony at the National Academy Of Ground Forces in Lviv

Why Ukraine Must Win

Former President of Mongolia Elbegdorj Tsakhia urges the democratic world to rally with even greater resolve to declare that freedom is non-negotiable, and to give Ukraine the weapons it needs to win.

Rose Gottemoeller shakes hands with Anatoly Antonov of the Russian Federation

The Role of U.S. Diplomacy in Countering Russia’s Nuclear Threats and Misbehavior

The United States has a special responsibility to humanity to use diplomacy to lower the nuclear temperature, argues veteran negotiator Rose Gottemoeller.

A statue of the Archangel Micheal at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Why Ukraine Will Win

Ukraine's military is advancing on the battlefield. Francis Fukuyama says that if Ukraine defeats Russia’s massive army, the ripple effects will be felt across the globe.

One Autocracy in Russia May Lead to Another

Kathryn Stoner explains why a popular uprising isn't likely to end autocracy in Russia anytime soon, despite a sudden increase in protests against the war.

The BADGER explosion on April 18, 1953, as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole, at the Nevada Test Site.

How to Keep the Ukraine Conflict From Going Nuclear

Scott Sagan offers five critical lessons from the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 that can help prevent nuclear escalation in the war in Ukraine.

B-61 nuclear free-fall bombs on a bomb cart.

Should Ukraine Have Kept Nuclear Weapons?

Even with the Kremlin's veiled nuclear threats, Rose Gottemoeller believes that Ukraine’s formation as a nation would have been stunted from the start if it had insisted on hanging on to nuclear weapons in 1994.

A representation of Justice hold legal scales.

Ukraine And The Cloud Of Genocide

Norman Naimark explains the difficulty of prosecuting crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide and the road ahead for Ukrainians seeking justice against atrocities committed by Russians.

Vladimir Putin addresses supporters during a rally in central Moscow on March 4, 2012.

How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia

In a matter of weeks, Putin erased thirty years of hard-won economic gains and set Russia on a path of long-term decimation for ordinary Russians, Kathryn Stoner writes in the Journal of Democracy.

Photograph of Xi Jinping and Vladmir Putin walking in front of two lines of armed Chinese soldiers

Beijing Is Used to Learning From Russian Failures

China is taking careful notes of the Russian military's failures in Ukraine to ensure the PLA does not make the same kinds of mistakes in the future, says Oriana Skylar Mastro.

Paul Wise and Ukrainian families with child cancer patients

Helping Child Cancer Patients Flee Ukraine

Stanford Health Policy's Paul Wise has been in Poland helping coordinate medical evacuations to Europe, the U.S and Canada , and praises the heroism of Ukrainian doctors.

Image of social media icons and a hand holding a phone

Full-Spectrum Pro-Kremlin Online Propaganda about Ukraine

The Stanford Internet Observatory tracks the connections between overt Russian state media propaganda themes and unattributed pro-Kremlin Telegram channel narratives.

Vladamir Putin at a Victory Day military parade in the Red Square, Moscow

What Putin Fears Most

Putin may dislike NATO expansion, but he is not genuinely frightened by it. But he cannot tolerate a successful, flourishing, and democratic Ukraine, writes Michael McFaul in the Journal of Democracy.

A passerby looks at thousands of miniature Ukrainian flags displayed in memorial in downtown Kyiv.

What a Year of War Looks Like from Inside Ukraine

Former Draper Hills Summer Fellow Sergiy Leshchenko describes what the Ukraine looks like after a year of brutal fighting and shares what progress he hopes to see as the conflict continues to evolve.

There Can Be No Real Peace in Ukraine Without Justice

CDDRL alumna and Nobel Prize recipient Oleksandra Matviichuk urges the world to remember that lasting peace in Ukraine requires justice, and justice requires accountability.

Putin’s Other Failed War

Journalist and visiting CDDRL fellow Roman Badanin outlines how independent Russian media has adapted, outsourced, and exported itself globally to dodge Kremlin censorship and push back on propaganda and lies.

Protests demonstrate against Vladimir Putin outside a Russian-owned international investment bank in Budapest, Hungary.

Pushing Back on Putin: The Fight for Democracy Within Russia

Lyubov Sobol, an activist and former visiting scholar at CDDRL, explains the roots of Russia's pro-democracy movement and the importance of its success to Russia, Ukraine, and the future stability of the global democratic community.

The Chernobyl nuclear reactor complex in Pripyat, Ukraine.

Russia's Attacks on Nuclear Reactors Cross a Dangerous Line

Firing on civilian nuclear facilities is an unacceptable disregard for the rules of war that endangers the entire world, not just Ukraine, writes Artem Romaniukov, an alumnus of UELP at the Freeman Spogli Institute.

Members of the Ukrainian military carry the flag of Ukraine during the 30th anniversary of the country's independence.

What the Ukraine-Russia Crisis Says about the Global Struggle for Democracy

Former prime minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk explains how Russia's aggression towards Ukraine fits into Vladimir Putin's bigger strategy to undermine democracy globally.

Videos

One Year Since Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: The View from Kyiv

The Future of Russia and the West's Perspective on the War

Michael McFaul: Explaining the Causes and Consequences of Putin's Invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Visits Stanford

On two occasions, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies has been honored to host President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine for special events with our community. In September 2021, President Zelenskyy and his delegation made a historic visit to Stanford's campus and spoke about the future of Ukraine. In May 2022, the President of Ukraine returned to campus virtually to speak to Stanford students and answer questions via a live video address.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine speaks at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

President Zelenskyy Visits FSI | September 2, 2021

President Zelenskky addresses Stanford students and community members via a live video address in the CEMEX auditorium.

Zelenskyy's Special Video Address | May 27, 2022

"Your voice should be loud. You are the generation of ambassadors."

On May 27, 2022, the Freeman Spogli Institute was honored to host President Zelenskyy again for live video address to Stanford students and community members. In his remarks, the president of Ukraine encouraged students to remain active and engaged in causes of democracy and freedom.

Follow the links for a Ukrainian-language recording and transcript of President Zelenskyy's remarks.

'Everything is Possible in Ukraine'

At an outdoor event held in Encina Courtyard on September 2, 2021, Zelenskyy shared his vision of a free, democratic future for Ukraine built on technological innovations and investments in infrastructure to make services more accessible and create better opportunities for all Ukrainians.

A History of Unity: FSI's Special Relationship with Ukraine

Since 2005, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies has cultivated rich academic ties and friendships with Ukrainian scholars and civic leaders as part of our mission to support democracy and development domestically and abroad.

Learn More