Wilson Sokhey, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, has spent 20 years traveling to and studying the politics and economics of Russia and former nations of the Soviet Union. And there has been plenty of news out of this region in recent weeks: Ukrainian troops kicked off a successful counteroffensive, in some cases retaking territory that had been occupied by pro-Russian forces since 2014. In response, Putin announced last week that his regime would mobilize an additional 300,000 reserve troops to send to Ukraine. People living in four regions of the eastern part of the country are also currently voting in referendums that will decide if those lands become part of Russia—a move that most experts outside of Russia have labeled a sham.