Ekaterina Kurbangalieva

Ekaterina Kurbangalieva is a political scientist from Moscow who left Russia in January 2022 following the onset of the war in Ukraine. Now a visiting professor at George Washington University, she has become a vocal commentator on the socio-political changes occurring in Russia due to the conflict. Kurbangalieva argues that the war is reshaping Russian society, leading to the emergence of a new middle class that is culturally and educationally distanced from the West, while also elevating previously neglected regions. She predicts that Russian society will become unrecognizable within the next three to five years, citing a trend towards 'Sovietization' in the country.