(Radio Iowa) Friday marks one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and experts from across the Midwest are gathering in Iowa City tonight for a panel discussion about the war and what may be next for that region — and for the world. Marina Zaloznaya (ZAL-ohz-NY-ah), a sociologist and political science professor at the University of Iowa, says she’s surprised the conflict has lasted this long, and it’s an ill omen that we’re now entering a second year.

Zaloznaya, director of the U-I’s European Studies Group, says there’s “no clear offramp” for Russia, while the Russian people support the war because they don’t know the full story, being cut off from Western media.

Russia has the resources to continue the war for years, while Ukraine is being backed by the United States and numerous other countries, setting up the potential genesis of another much larger war. While the future of the conflict may have a profound impact on millions of people around the world, she says there are also resurrected fears of nuclear escalation.

Various sources show the U-S has spent between 25- and 75-billion dollars on weapons, training and supplies for Ukraine since the war began a year ago. Zaloznaya says Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shaken Europe to its core and set off a global humanitarian crisis.

Tonight’s panel discussion will include experts from the U-I, the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It starts at 5:15 at the Iowa Memorial Union on the U-I campus and is free and open to all.