Birgitte Beck Prinsted is Associate Professor of Russian and Balkan Studies at Aarhus University. Her research focuses on Russian visual and material culture, especially Soviet and post-Soviet book and media history, with a curious side glance at Russian children's culture and literature. Her PhD thesis on Russian book design examined the clash between Western and Soviet book culture after the privatization of the state publishing system in 1991. Birgitte has seen an increased interest in Russia and Russian studies since the invasion of Ukraine, and is in demand as a speaker in this context.