--- title: "Conflict in Ukraine: UMD Experts Available" date: 2022-02-28T10:03:00-05:00 author: admin canonical_url: "https://umdrightnow.umd.edu/news-releases/conflict-in-ukraine-umd-available" section: News Releases --- News Releases # Conflict in Ukraine: UMD Experts Available ![LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: People demonstrate in support of Ukraine in Whitehall outside of Downing Street the residence of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on February 25, 2022 in London, England.](https://omc-system.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/umdrn/Ukraineprotest_2022-02-28-141253_icou.jpg?w=1920&h=1080&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1770151398&s=4f25b0d363321d2ada5624eef04b3eca) Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling. The offensive prompted a wave of sanctions from the U.S. and European governments. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) February 28, 2022 If you are a journalist covering the conflict in Ukraine, the University of Maryland has a number of faculty experts who can comment on the situation from a variety of perspectives. If interested in setting up an interview with one of the faculty members listed below, please contact . **Specific expertise:** [Sarah Oates](https://merrill.umd.edu/directory/sarah-oates), professor of journalism, is an expert on Russian propaganda. [Sarah Cameron](https://history.umd.edu/directory/sarah-cameron), associate professor of history, is an expert on the USSR and Central Asia. [Mikhail Dolbilov](https://history.umd.edu/directory/mikhail-dolbilov), associate professor of history, is an expert on Russia and modern Europe and teaches an undergraduate course on the tangled histories of Russia and Ukraine. [Vladimir Tismaneanu](https://gvpt.umd.edu/facultyprofile/tismaneanu/vladimir#tab-biography), professor of government and politics, studies post-communist societies and can discuss the history of conflict in the region. [Sergii Skakun](https://geog.umd.edu/facultyprofile/skakun/sergii), an assistant professor of geography, runs a NASA satellite project monitoring land cover in Ukraine, and can speak to the effects of agricultural disruption in Ukraine and beyond as a result of the conflict. [Piotr Kosicki](https://history.umd.edu/directory/piotr-kosicki), associate professor of history, is a historian of Eastern Europe who has published multiple books on the communist and post-communist revolution. [Michael Faulkender](https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/directory/michael-faulkender), professor of finance, has expertise in banking and finance and can provide insight on financial sanctions against Russia. [Frank T. Goertner](mailto:fgoertne@umd.edu) is a retired U.S. Navy commander and director for federal and veteran affairs for the Robert H. Smith School of Business. His military assignments included no-fly zone policy planning on the U.S. Joint Staff and duty as a Eurasia Foreign Area Officer. He [wrote a piece](https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/597489-a-no-fly-zone-in-ukraine-could-work#bottom-story-socials) at The Hill describing how a no-fly zone over Ukraine could be viable. [Ryan Haddad, ](mailto:rihaddad@terpmail.umd.edu)a research affiliate in the Smith School of Business Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets [wrote a piece](https://theconversation.com/ukraine-crisis-putin-recognizes-breakaway-regions-biden-orders-limited-sanctions-5-essential-reads-177508) about the potential impact of economic sanctions on Russia. [Robert Orr](https://spp.umd.edu/our-community/faculty-staff/robert-c-orr), professor and Dean of the School of Public Policy, negotiated as a practitioner with the Russian government on a wide range of security, human rights, and economic issues and can speak to the Russian Federation's evolving role in global governance processes. [Alec Worsnop](https://spp.umd.edu/our-community/faculty-staff/alec-worsnop), an assistant professor of public policy, could speak to potential unconventional resistance to the Russian invasion. [Nancy Gallagher](https://spp.umd.edu/our-community/faculty-staff/nancy-gallagher), a research professor of public policy and director of the Center for International Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), is an expert on nuclear policy and US-Russia relations. [Egle Murauskaite](mailto:egle@umd.edu), a faculty specialist at the National Center for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), has studied foriegn fighters who have joined both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. **Experts who can discuss conflict and international relations generally:** [Sarah Croco](https://gvpt.umd.edu/facultyprofile/croco/sarah), associate professor of government and politics, studies international war and wartime public opinion. [Shibley Telhami](https://gvpt.umd.edu/facultyprofile/telhami/shibley), the Anwar Sadat Chair Professor for Peace and Development, is an international relations scholar. [Hoda Mahmoudi](https://www.bahaichair.umd.edu/hoda-mahmoudi), Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, can discuss fundamental challenges to global peace and security.