Event: Ukraine - A Frontline Perspective of The War in The East

Event recording from 7/11/2016 Speaker: Dr Samir Puri , Department of War Studies , KCL. Chair: Dr Domitilla Sagramoso, CSDRG, Department of War Studies, KCL. This event was part of the CSD MA Monday Seminar Series, hosted by the Conflict, Security and Development Research Group. Dr Samir Puri reflects on the conflict resolution and human security challenges presented by the war in east Ukraine. Immediately before becoming a Lecturer in War Studies, Dr Puri spent one year (2014-2015) with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. He recently returned to Ukraine to author a report on the human security situation in parts of the Donetsk region. He will speak about the state of the ceasefire in the east, and will examine the local dynamics of the conflict from an on-the-ground perspective. Although the Ukraine conflict has slipped from international media headlines, fighting still persists. For as long as a resolution to the war remains elusive, the impact on the people of the region remains significant. Having worked in government, academia and think tanks, Dr Puri's capabilities extend across theory and practise in international security affairs. He spent six years working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2009-15). His assignments included counter-terrorism strategy and policy support to a number of peace processes. In 2014-15 he was seconded to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in eastern Ukraine. His duties involved patrolling in the field, and reporting on ceasefire violations and weapons withdrawals in line with the Minsk process. His book, Fighting and Negotiating with Armed Groups, has been published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) as part of its Adelphi series. His first book, Pakistan’s War on Terrorism, was published by Routledge. For more information about the event, visit https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events/eventsrecords/Ukraine-A-Frontline-Perspective-of-the-War-in-the-East.aspx.