Winter Academy in Yekaterinburg

The event brought together high-ranking officials from NATO and Russia, foreign diplomats and international experts for discussions with more than 50 students, including post-graduates and young scholars from several cities in Russia as well as from other CIS countries.

The Winter Academy, organised in cooperation with the Centre for European Security, is one of the major public diplomacy activities sponsored by the NATO Information Office in Russia.  This year, it focused on the theme “NATO in Action: Transformation and Operations”.

During the various sessions of the conference, several important aspects of this theme were discussed, such as the “Political and Military Transformation of the Alliance”, ”NATO’s Operations and Capabilities”, “The Balkans: International Engagement and NATO’s Lessons Learned”, and “Peacekeeping Operation in Afghanistan and NATO-Russia Council Cooperation”.

The Academy students were presented with a wide spectrum of views, ranging from the official position of NATO, Russia and Allied countries to an independent analysis made by Russian and foreign experts, many of which were present throughout the event. This variety of opinions created an ideal ground for discussion and gave the audience a unique opportunity to put interesting and sometimes challenging questions to the speakers and to express their own views.

Last but not least, a significant part of the Winter Academy program was dedicated to workshops and role-playing games. These helped the participants develop their skills for a comprehensive study and analysis of the current processes within the Alliance as well as to understand the importance of NATO-Russia relations in the international security environment.