In 2014, Russia redrew the map of Europe by annexing Crimea, in 2016, Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election. Russia is a country we must understand. Given Russia's increasingly vocal and visible presence in international affairs, there is a growing need for professionals who speak Russian and understand the politics, economics, and social dynamics of Russia and its neighbors. This is the time to major or minor in Russian and East European Studies (REES) at UVM, which boasts a comprehensive academic major and minor as well as numerous opportunities for students to study abroad in Russian-speaking countries or countries with sizable Russian-speaking populations including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgara, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.