“I think by offering this course and making it permanent, Baylor is offering an important counterweight to the excessive focus that has existed for Russia for decades … at this institution,” Kudelia said. “The war is only a reminder of how significant this region is for the world, but Russia is not going to go away, and Ukraine is not going to go away. And the problem that we have in Russian and Ukrainian relationships are problems that will not be solved easily over the next couple of months or years.”