The brownbag focused on how the current Kremlin leadership, and more generally, how the Russian media has portrayed the notions of “war and victory,” particularly with regard to the current conflict in Ukraine.

Ray Finch is a Eurasian Military Analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he examines issues related to Russian security and society. Prior to this he worked as the Assistant to the Director for the Center for East European, Eurasian and Russian Studies at the University of Kansas, where he handled administrative tasks and taught courses related to Russian culture. Finch spent 20 years in the US Army, first as a Field Artillery Officer and then as a Eurasian Foreign Area Officer. He earned his both his BA and MA at the University of Kansas. Upon retiring from the military in 1998, he worked as the Director of Corporate Security for Kroll Associates in Moscow.