CAMDEN — "What’s at stake in Ukraine is the future of the free world." Sergei Medvedev.

Russian journalist, historian, TV and radio host Sergei Medvedev spoke those words during the virtual 2022 Camden Conference, Europe: Challenged at Home and Abroad, from his Moscow apartment, just two days after Russian forces attacked Ukraine. On Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 6:30 - 8 p.m., Medvedev will speak from the stage of the Camden Opera House, delivering a talk titled “Putin's World War III."

A frequent critic of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, Medvedev said in that 2022 live interview that the invasion of Ukraine was a miscalculation that "could be the end game of Putin’s regime" because of the enormous drain on Russia's resources and manpower and the sanctions slapped on Russia by the West. "I think, in the end, he’s paranoid," said Medvedev. "This is not a metaphor, this is a diagnosis." And should Putin succeed in Ukraine, said Medvedev, "he will be up there at the gates of the Baltic from Kaliningrad, from the neighboring regions, and the gates of Poland, and this will be a direct confrontation with a NATO state."  Shortly after that livestreamed appearance, Dr. Medvedev left Russia and is now based in Prague, where he teaches at Charles University.

Medvedev's live appearance at the Opera House, a presentation of the Camden Conference, coincides with the publication of his latest book, A War Made in Russia, which will be released in the U.S. in late September. In the book, Medvedev tackles important questions, including possible scenarios for ending the war in Ukraine. A book signing will follow in the Opera House’s Tucker Room, sponsored by Arctic Tern Books.

Professor Medvedev earned a B.A. from Moscow University, an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in History at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has taught at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, and many universities across Europe. His previous book, The Return of the Russian Leviathan, was awarded the Pushkin House Book Prize and was translated into 12 languages. An Arctic enthusiast, Dr. Medvedev spoke at the all-virtual 2021 Camden Conference, The Geopolitics of the Arctic; he advocates international control over the region, including a ban on military activity, oil drilling and other economic exploitation.

Tickets for “Putin's World War III" are on sale now for a suggested donation of $25 and available here: bit.ly/3tbOGba.

The Camden Conference, now planning for its 37th year, is a nonprofit, non-partisan, volunteer-driven citizens' forum with the mission of fostering informed discourse on world issues. Year-round public engagement through community events and student education programs culminates in a three-day Conference presented live on the stage of the Camden Opera House. Please visit www.camdenconference.org for more information.