Registration REQUIRED by 4pm on February 26, 2025 in order to attend this event.

Please join the Harriman Institute for a lecture by Dima Adamsky on his forthcoming book. Moderated by Valentina Izmirlieva.

Intervention by the military in Russian politics and the penetration of politics into the Russian military has reached an unprecedented scale. Nothing demonstrates the phenomenon better than a unique military organ of political officers – a directorate in the Ministry of Defense, replicas of which have been emerging in other parts of the Russian strategic community. This organ, which consists of political officers, priests and psychologists, is charged with maintaining the loyal minds, motivated hearts and stable psychology of Russian servicemen and citizens. How, why and when did this interplay of the politics, church, military, and ideology that this organ exemplifies, emerge? What are its implications for the future of the Russian political course, national elite, and military aristocracy? To explain the sources, essence and consequences of this phenomenon, “The New Commissars” embarks on a journey through Russian strategic culture, political mentality, ideology, civil-military and state-church relations before, during and following the war in Ukraine.