Kurilla and Dud on American-Russian relations
October 25, 2024

Over three million Russians have seen the Bowdoin quad in the last two weeks—but not for the reason you may think. On October 8, Visiting Tallman Scholar in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REES) Ivan Kurilla was interviewed by Yury Dud, a Russian journalist with over ten million subscribers on Youtube, about the state of U.S.-Russian relations, American academia and American history.
Kurilla is a professor of American history and international relations who has taught at universities in both Russia and America. He previously taught at Volgograd State University and then the European University at St. Petersburg. While working at European University, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Kurilla decided not to stay quiet.
“I wanted to stay, but if I was staying, I decided I couldn’t shut up,” Kurilla said. “So I continued to write on my Facebook and be interviewed by still-independent media.”
In 2022, Kurilla wanted to take a sabbatical to complete his most recent book. When he requested approval from European University, his sabbatical was not approved (and he was told he would be fired if he left). He left anyway, and his position was terminated.
He then found a position at Wellesley University as a visiting professor. However, after completing a lecture series and book, Kurilla did not know what was next.
“When I arrived to the United States in January of this year, I just found that I started to breathe easier.… When I arrived here, I understood how internally frozen I was for the previous two years,” Kurilla said.
During last spring semester, Professor of History and Chair of REES Page Herrlinger heard about Kurilla’s plight as he searched for the next place to go.
“There have been a number, far too many, scholars at risk,” Herrlinger said. “All the pieces came together that needed to come together at the last minute so that he was able to join us.”
Kurilla is visiting Bowdoin just for this semester and teaching one class, “Frenemies: Russia and the United States from the 18th Century to the Present.” He plans to go back to Wellesley next semester. The REES department could not have expected that this temporary appointment would put Bowdoin on the radar of millions.
“Actually, I refuse to talk to journalists,” Kurilla said. “But I made an exception for Dud because it’s Dud. So, he just came for one day, and I’d say he’s very much a workaholic.”
Yury Dud is a Russian video journalist who has gained fame on his Youtube channel, vDud, since 2017 for long-form interviews with both Russian and Eastern European historians and politicians, along with rappers and influencers. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dud came out publicly condemning the invasion, and by April 2022, he was named a “foreign agent” by the Russian Ministry of Justice and could not return to the country.
Dud is currently traveling around the U.S. interviewing Russian and Eastern European expatriates, and his second stop was Brunswick to talk with Kurilla. Kurilla and Dud spent six hours talking in various parts of campus.
Dud asked Kurilla about Bowdoin and American culture as well as the history of American-Russian relations and how the U.S. and Russia can move forward.
“Some people said, ‘You know you made a promotion for Bowdoin College. Maybe next year we’ll have more applications from Russian-speaking people who learned about Bowdoin from Dud,’” Kurilla said.
REES faculty did not know that the interview was happening but have been excited to see the impact of the interview on international audiences.
“I think that our countries are so polarized and so ignorant of each other that I’m thrilled to see someone who has the ability to reach Russian audiences actually try to explain us to them,” Herrlinger said.
Additionally, Russian and Eastern European students at Bowdoin have reacted enthusiastically, underscoring the notoriety that Dud holds in Eastern Europe.
“I was in shock because that’s a true celebrity to me,” Emma Akuyeva ’25 said. “When I saw videos of him at Bowdoin, I was like, ‘This is insane.’ [It was] definitely my two worlds combining.”
At the end of the interview, Dud asked Kurilla about how he defines power.
“I would name two things as my powers. First of all, saying no to someone stronger than you is power. Being able to continue working when the goal is very far and everything seems pointless is also power,” Kurilla said, originally in Russian.
These words spoke particularly to Volodymyr Zadorojny ’27.
“Kurilla was talking in class about how it’s a little awkward how he has to adjust to and recognize that he might not be returning to Russia anytime soon, because he has a voice that they don’t like,” Zadorojny said.
Kurillas will give a talk toward the end of his tenure at the College on December 3, and the REES department is looking for more ways for students to connect with him during his time here.
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