Russia Hands Reunion Draws Capacity Crowd

Left to right: Alexander Cooley, Timothy Frye, Vladimir Lenski and Carol Williams. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Left to right: Robert Kaiser, Ann Cooper, David Hoffman, Tom Kent and Seymour Topping speak at a panel about Communism and the Fall of Communism. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Longtime OPC member and Moscow veteran Seymour Topping, left, with Serge Schmemann, editorial page editor of the International Herald Tribune. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Voice of America interviews Carol Williams after speaking in a panel on Putin's Russia. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Patricia Kranz with Jeff Trimble. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Peter Osnos, former Moscow correspondent for the Washington Post, left, with his predecessor, Robert Kaiser. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Ann Imse with Jeff Trimble. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Colette Shulman with Serge Schmemann. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Irv Chapman, left, with Gordon Joseloff. Photo: Chad Bouchard
Pete Galuszka and OPC executive director Patricia Kranz. Photo: Chad Bouchard

 

More than 170 former Moscow correspondents, OPC members and Russophiles gathered at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute on Feb. 24 for an afternoon of panels and storytelling at the Russia Hands Reunion. The event drew journalists with experience spanning more than six decades of coverage.

The room at the Harriman Institute was standing-room-only even after adding seats to accommodate the growing crowd.

The afternoon included two panels: one on Putin’s Russia to discuss contemporary concerns, and Communism and the Fall of Communism, which featured stories from correspondents who covered the country over different eras of the last half-century.

Click the window below to watch a playlist of video clips from the program.