The Future of Putin and Russia: A Conversation and Performance

Russia’s war in Ukraine has resulted in staggering human and financial costs — over 600,000 Russian casualties according to Pentagon estimates, and war-related expenditures exceeding $211 billion as of early 2024. With economic losses projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2026, and the Kremlin under intensifying scrutiny, the future of Vladimir Putin’s regime hangs in the balance. Will Putin retain his grip on power? Can the military sustain its support? What role can the West play, and what lies ahead for Ukraine and its NATO aspirations amid shifting US leadership?

Join two of Putin’s most prominent critics for a compelling and timely discussion. Vladimir Kara-Murza, twice poisoned by Kremlin operatives and recently released from imprisonment in a landmark East-West prisoner exchange, brings firsthand insights into Putin’s inner workings. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Senior Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Kara-Murza is one of the most influential voices for Russian democratic reform.

Sir Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and leader of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, has been a relentless advocate for human rights and anti-corruption measures, earning him the distinction of being named Putin’s “#1 enemy” by the Russian president himself.

Moderating the discussion is Richard Salomon, a Senior Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre and co-founder of the Illinois Holocaust Museum, who brings a global human rights perspective to this critical conversation.

The evening concludes with a powerful recital by acclaimed pianist Mikhail Voskresensky, who fled Russia with his family in 2022 in protest of the war. Voskresensky’s artistry will underscore the enduring spirit of resistance and hope.

This extraordinary event combines expert analysis, personal testimony, and the power of music to illuminate one of the most urgent geopolitical crises of our time.