Sierra Salazar grew up in Tonganoxie, Kansas, and joined the MAREEES programme in 2023. She currently works as an Operations Analyst intern at NATO SHAPE in J9 (Civil-Military Cooperation). Her award-winning thesis is entitled “Women’s Everyday Resistance in Soviet Ukraine’s shistdesiatnytstvo: Nadiia Svitlychna, Alla Horska, and Nina Strokata, 1956–1976.”
Tabea Böing is originally from Rhede, a small town in West Germany, and came to Finland for her studies in the MAREEES programme in 2023. She received an honorable mention for her thesis “The Kremlin Within: Exploring the Role of German Politicians in the Dissemination of Russian Propagandistic Narratives.”
Essi Saborit was originally trained as a nurse, and later earned a degree in history from Tampere University. She now works in the university administration. During her studies in history at Tampere University, she mostly focused on the development of international relations in recent history with a minor in political studies. She also received an honorable mention for her thesis “Historiallinen kumppani ja vapauden puolustaja: Venäjän presidenttien historian käyttö liittyen Egyptiin ja Algeriaan vuosina 2003-2023" ["Historical partner and defender of freedom: The use of history by Russian presidents in relation to Egypt and Algeria in 2003–2023"].
The Finnish Association for Russian and East European Studies FAREES (VIETS ry.) is a scientific association that aims to promote and publicize research on Russia and Eastern Europe in Finland and to support international cooperation in the field. The association organizes the MA thesis competition annually to reward the best thesis in the field.
Sierra found the programme after some twists and turns. “Admittedly, I had a rather abnormal and bumpy path prior to joining the MAREEES programme. For most of my life, I wanted to have a career in musical theater and acting. I even pursued a bachelor’s degree in the field, but I switched my major to better understand politics and society at large.” After transferring universities, she developed a regional focus on former Soviet and communist countries in January 2022. After Russia began its full-scale invasion against Ukraine a month later, Ukraine became her main specialization and she moved from Kansas to Czechia. Ever since, she has been doing whatever she can to help Ukraine, studying and volunteering across Central and Eastern Europe. It was her lecturer and supervisor at Kansas State University, Dr. Vera Smirnova, who suggested that she apply to the MAREEES programme at the Aleksanteri Institute to pursue a career in political science while specializing in this region.
For Tabea, her strong interest in Russia began to develop when she took up studying Russian in high school. Even though she chose a different study track focusing on EU studies for her undergraduate degree, her interest in the country prevailed. After spending a semester abroad in Russia and gaining a more nuanced understanding of the country, its culture, and political system, she decided to pursue graduate studies in this field.
Essi's bachelor’s studies had focused on a broader perspective of international history, so she wanted to take a more regionally focused approach during her master’s studies. "This goal, along with a warm recommendation from a friend, led me to apply for the ExPREES/VIExpert programme."
At first, Sierra planned to write her master’s thesis on civic nationalism and national identity in Ukraine, but she ended up saving that topic for her PhD and instead pursued historical research on Ukraine for her MA thesis. “Reading Václav Havel’s Power of the Powerless, as well as learning about dissidents in Poland and then Czechoslovakia, got me really interested in the history of dissent in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.” The topic was further refined by her experience at the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute: “After many lunch discussions with my colleagues, I decided to first study dissidence in Soviet Ukraine – and specifically, early forms of dissent among women. I realized just how passionate I was about this topic after discovering a published primary source collection at Widener Library, Daughter of Odesa: Nina Strokata in Documents and Memoirs, and seeing how little she, or another woman who I repeatedly noticed as the editor of many published primary source materials on Ukrainian dissidents – Nadiia Svitlychna – had been written about, despite their clearly crucial roles.”
The idea for Essi's thesis emerged from her decision to study the political use of history, as it allowed her to combine the expertise she had developed during her history studies with her interest in contemporary politics. "Through my bachelor’s thesis, I had become familiar with political systems in the African region, which made it a natural choice to focus my master’s thesis on Russia’s foreign policy towards the African countries. My choice of topic was further reinforced when I realised that this regional perspective on the political use of history and Russian foreign policy had received relatively little attention in previous research. In my thesis, I ultimately examined the Russian leadership’s political use of history in relation to Egypt and Algeria in the 21st century."
Tabea wrote her thesis on the reproduction and domestication of narratives of Russian state propaganda by politicians from the Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD). She focused on how the party embeds these narratives into its own communication and utilizes them for its own purposes. “After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, I began to realize that central narratives of Russian state propaganda used to legitimize the invasion did not only enter public discourse through Russian state-level actors, media outlets, or Telegram channels. Rather, they were also adopted by some local politicians in Germany. Some public voices were quick to brush off this behaviour and label politicians and parties engaging in these practices as ‘puppets of the Kremlin’. I found this reaction concerning, as it downplayed both their agency and their influence on public opinion – so I dug deeper and realized that the situation was far more complex.” Tabea found that while the Kremlin uses politicians abroad to influence public opinion, these politicians also act in their own interests and are cautious in positioning themselves so as not to deter their electorate. “As I realized the complexity of this issue, I wanted to better understand the motives and communicative strategies of the AfD, as well as its ties with the Russian government, and realized that my master’s thesis would be the ideal project for this.”
Essi: "Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the entire master’s thesis process. Due to combining working full-time with finishing my master’s studies at Tampere, I was unfortunately unable to participate in the ExpREES thesis seminars. However, I found combining the master’s seminars at my home university with the wide range of courses offered at the ExpREES programme very useful. The ExpREES studies introduced me to the relevant research in the field and provided interdisciplinary perspectives that I was able to apply in my master’s thesis." Essi would warmly recommend ExpREES/VIExpert studies to anyone looking to find a clearer direction for their master’s studies and those interested in broadening their understanding beyond their own field in a more interdisciplinary way. "I also encourage you to apply even if you do not yet have an in-depth understanding of the region! Interest and curiosity will take you a long way."
Tabea: “If I had to sum up the whole process of writing my thesis in six words, I would say ‘challenging in the best way possible.’ I remember my supervisor comparing writing a thesis to running a marathon, as one has to take one step at a time and plan ahead, while not losing sight of the overall goal. This image resonated with me quite well. As most people who have written a master’s thesis would probably agree, when working on a project of such scope, there are moments when one feels stuck or feels like one ‘misses the wood for the trees’: but once one gets past that point, it becomes possible to see the progress made. Overall, I am very glad that my thesis gave me the chance to fully delve into a topic I am deeply passionate about and consider highly relevant on both a national and global scale.”
If I had to sum up the whole process of writing my thesis in six words, I would say ‘challenging in the best way possible'
Sierra: “It was at first rather rough, and I hope that if there is anything a master’s student reading this might take away, it would be this: if anyone tells you it’s too ambitious, but you have the passion and know pragmatically that it can be done, do it anyway. Having a good supervisor makes all the difference as well. A master’s thesis is hours upon hours of hard work and dedication to a topic that you have to invest yourself in for at least a year. And you can turn it into a peer-reviewed article – or even two. And some very critical tips: focus on taking your research seriously, not yourself, and ensure that your passion and curiosity doesn’t dwindle every time you receive a rejection. Your ability to withstand rejection and be relentless in promoting your abilities will lead to success.”
During her studies, Tabea developed a strong interest in hybrid warfare, disinformation, and foreign interference, and has already gained her first professional experience in this field. “I would like to continue this work and am currently looking into traineeship and entry-level positions related to these issues.”
Essi graduated a year ago with a master’s degree, and she is currently working as a coordinator at the Admissions Services of Tampere University. "In the future, I see myself working in a specialist role in the administrative field, although I have not ruled out the possibility of pursuing doctoral studies."
At the moment, Sierra is completing her internship at NATO SHAPE as a J9 Operations Analyst. “I’ve found it incredibly insightful to be in an environment outside academia and to see how my skills and specialization on Ukraine can be applied in practice. I am planning to pursue a PhD in the future, focusing on the relationship between support for democracy and different types of national identity, and how interstate war might affect this relationship – placing the Ukrainian case in a comparative perspective.”