The Russian political scene and threats to European democracy – these issues demand even more serious analysis today than ever before. During the spring edition of Impact’22, taking place on May 11th and 12th in Poznań, Dr. Alina Polyakova, an expert focusing on these very topics, will be speaking. – Putin’s ambitions do not end at Ukraine’s borders. His goal is to redraw the map of Europe through violence. The world we lived in a week ago no longer exists – wrote Dr. Alina Polyakova, a recognized expert in transatlantic relations and Russian foreign policy, who will be a guest at this year’s spring edition of Impact, regarding the ongoing war in February. Dr. Alina Polyakova has for years been engaged with issues of European security, digital technologies, authoritarianism, and the phenomenon of populism in democracies. She addressed these themes in her work titled “The Dark Side of European Integration.” In it, she analyzes the development of far-right political movements in Europe. In her opinion, Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has revealed the true nature of Putin’s regime, which aims to conquer and subjugate a peaceful neighbor and brutally change the international order. And, as the expert points out, this requires a decisive and unified response from Western countries. This specialist in the Russian political scene, as well as security and transatlantic cooperation, currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). This is an independent think tank engaged in research and analysis in the fields of politics, energy, and international security. Alina Polyakova also sits on the board of the Free Russia Foundation and the Institute of Modern Russia. Furthermore, Dr. Polyakova is actively involved in academia. She is an adjunct professor in European studies at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the American Johns Hopkins University. She obtained her education at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a degree in sociology, and at Emory University, where she studied sociology and economics. She has also been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships, including a Fulbright Program fellowship. Before joining CEPA, Dr. Polyakova worked at the American think tank Brookings Institution. There, she held the position of Director for Global Democracy and Emerging Technologies. Previously, she was the Director for Europe and Eurasia Research at the Atlantic Council, where she developed and led the institute’s work on disinformation and Russia. The CEPA expert is also the author and co-author of dozens of important reports and articles published in magazines such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and The Atlantic. She is also a frequent commentator in media outlets such as BBC, Fox News, and CNN. To the latter of these stations, she gave a comment following the Russian aggression: – We are observing very aggressive actions by the Russian government that will establish a new Iron Curtain, separating Russia. We are approaching a state of Cold War – the expert stated, emphasizing the crucial role in this situation of fighting disinformation, digital threats, and implementing appropriate information policies. What are the specialist’s predictions for Russia, Ukraine, and the countries of our region? An optimistic aspect is that, in her opinion, the West possesses the tools to defend against Russian propaganda and can also reach Russians themselves. “However, we need significant commitment and many resources. We need to be creative,” – says the expert. In May, Dr. Alina Polyakova will present her conclusions regarding the challenges for our region to a Polish audience during the Impact’22 conference. The meetings will take place on May 11-12 in Poznań.