The Russia Program Annual Conference is a major gathering of rising and confirmed social scientists deeply invested in Russian Studies. It seeks to provide cutting-edge insights into the study of a Russia at war and to provoke discussion on the myriad of ways the decision to invade Ukraine affects Russian society, governance, the economy, and the intricate web of international relations, especially with countries in the Global South.

From Lenin and Stalin to Putin, Russia's economic development has relied on large scale technologies. These technologies—often called "hero projects," "projects of the century," or "megaprojects"—have been central to the nation's economic growth and military power.