The full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the closure of Russia for international researchers have fundamentally altered the ways historians dealing with the histories of the regions under direct Russian and Soviet rule before 1917/1991 conduct their research. This roundtable wants to look back at the last four years to discuss the problems, but also the opportunities that this shift has brought on for our entire discipline. And it wants to look ahead in contemplating with the audience on how this shift will affect our field in the years to come. This panel is organized by the Max Weber Network Eastern Europe (MWNO) which, as the successor institution to the German Historical Institute Moscow, went through its own adjustment period regarding the institutional setup to continue and develop adequate and productive research(er) support in the larger region. While still in the process of establishing a network logic that works out for all sides involved, the MWNO gained important insights, criticism and support. We want to bring that into dialogue with the practical experiences and epistemic challenges that different researchers – from doctoral student to professor, researchers from ‘the West’ and our colleagues from the region at large – have encountered in the last four years. What have been the problems (and what turned out to be not as difficult as anticipated)? But also, where lie the chances and opportunities for a whole field that is in the midst of an ongoing shift on multiple levels? Why is it still relevant to conduct research on the ground, and be present institutionally in the region, despite the interconnected trends of deterritorialization and national closure? The list of participants is not complete yet, we plan to ask Klaus Gestwa, Iryna Klymenko, and Masha Cerovic.