The Pilecki Discussions on the History and Legacy of Totalitarianism seek to bring together experts from East-Central Europe to discuss and debate issues of common concern in 20th century and contemporary histories of the former Eastern Bloc.

Discussions take place in English, online, and are made available on the Pilecki Institute’s web site and on our social media channels.

In this discussion we talk with Dr. Ian Garner, instructor at Queens’ University and author of the book “Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth” which is available in bookstores from May 4, and with Dr. Kseniya Yurtayeva, currently a visiting scholar at the Weiser Diplomacy Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Both are experts on the role that social media and cyberspace are currently playing in Russian society and in the Russia-Ukraine War, with backgrounds in media and propaganda, international justice, criminal law and cybercrime. We discuss Ian’s new book on the construction of a fascist youth generation in Russia with the aid of modern technology and of social media in particular, and the preventative measures against the spread of Russian cyber aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere through disinformation campaigns and other cyber technologies. These are topics which in many ways are at the frontline of current conflicts not just in this region but worldwide, touching as they do on cutting edge technological challenges and the shaping of future generations.