With the rapid escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, media around the world are turning to Cynthia Hooper, associate professor of history and director of Russian and Eastern European Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, for her expert insight.
Most recently, Hooper, a historian of Russia specializing in Kremlin media strategy, discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Ukrainian land, the Nord Stream gas pipelines sabotage, as well as the nuclear dangers posed by the war in Ukraine with Business Insider’s John Haltiwanger.
"Russia is committing to an escalation," Hooper told Insider.
“Putin is using the illegal annexations of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to reframe the war for Russian citizens,” Hooper said, adding that "now he and his advisors can tell a story, going forward, of how the Kremlin wants peace but Ukraine and its US supporters are insisting on war and attacking Mother Russia."
"This is scary. It is a false narrative, constructed by a person who absolutely knows his actions will prompt further conflict. It is a strategy designed in expectation of military escalation," Hooper said.
Relevant Coverage:
Business Insider, Sept. 30
Business Insider, Oct. 3
KCBS Radio - San Francisco, Oct. 4
Adevarul (Romania), Oct. 5
Business Insider, Oct. 16
The Washington Post, Oct. 19
Newsweek, Oct. 20
For assistance scheduling an interview with Professor Hooper or for additional information on our faculty experts, please contact Nicoleta Jordan at njordan@holycross.edu.
