Learning from Ukraine - Viadrina experts exchange ideas at Café Kyiv 2025

Both, the Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies (KIU) Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin and the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU) were represented at the third edition of Café Kyiv - Europe's largest network meeting for the Ukrainian community. Staff from both institutions presented their work at information desks. Viadrina researchers also participated in numerous discussion rounds.

Science contributing from "disinterest to strategic partnership"

The discussion "From disinterest to strategic partnership?" focussed on Germany's changing relationship with Ukraine. Lyudmyla Melnyk (Head of the Ukraine Programme, Institute for European Politics) stated that it apparently took a "certain shock to give relations between Germany and Ukraine a new impetus". While there were hardly any programmes dedicated to German-Ukrainian relations until 2014, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the war in eastern Ukraine triggered a new German focus on Ukraine.

KIU Coordinator Susann Worschech described the scandal during Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House in February as another turning point. In the USA, a country with a comparatively long history of Ukraine research, a "strong civil society that sees clear pictures" is also needed after the "Trump moment". In Germany, on the other hand, Ukraine research was hardly promoted for a long time: Since 1991, only two to five Ukraine projects per year have been funded by the DFG; to date, only two Ukraine professorships exist, one of which is the chair held by Prof Dr Andrii Portnov at the Viadrina.

Rebecca Harms (Grüne) called for a change in the attitude of Germans and Europeans towards Ukraine. It was necessary to "turn from supporters into real allies". Because, as all participants in the round table agreed, there can be no peace in Europe without Ukraine. "We are learning something about Europe through Ukraine," said Susann Worschech.

VCPU discussion: misunderstandings about Ukraine's history, culture and politics

The panel discussion organised by the VCPU with the Eastern European historians Prof. Dr Jan Claas Behrends and Prof. Dr Andrii Portnov as well as the literary scholar Prof. Dr Annette Werberger illustrated how much there is still to learn. They discussed the "Vicious circle of misunderstanding: ten things you should know about Ukraine". The well-attended discussion took place in a room with the highly symbolic name "Maidan". The events on the Maidan in 2013 at the latest were to change the distorted view of Ukraine among the German public. However, the Cafe Kyiv event series did not start in 2014 after the actual beginning of the war in Ukraine, but in 2023 on the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Jan Behrends emphasised at the beginning. Solidarity with Ukraine was far too low in Germany in 2013/14, he said. Ukraine was the first country with a peaceful change of power in the post-Soviet region, but this had gone largely unnoticed. There has been far too much talk about nationalism, but far too little about the strong civil society, about division instead of diversity, noted Jan Behrends.

Annette Werberger emphasised that for a long time Ukraine was not perceived as a country of tourism, culture and art. The age of culture plays an important role in this. Ukrainian culture is wrongly dated back to 1991, at most 1917. In Germany, contemporary authors such as Serhij Zhadan and Tanja Maljartschuk are read, but nothing older. The Ukrainian baroque and the Ukrainian avant-garde are hardly known. Yet they play an enormously important role in the formation of Ukrainian culture and the self-image of Ukrainian society. The nationalisation of Ukrainian culture in the 19th century should not be equated with nationalism, emphasised Annette Werberger. Rather, it was about democratisation processes, such as Mychajlo Drahomanow.

As a conclusion, Andrii Portnov stated ten points on Ukrainian history:

1. Ukrainian history, language and culture began much earlier than 1991 or 1917.

2. Modern Ukraine is not just a "Bloodlands" as described in Timothy Snyder's book of the same name - and the Soviet Union is not just Russia.

3. The Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera is not a key figure in Ukrainian history.

4. Ukraine is an example of perhaps the greatest religious pluralism among Central and Eastern European countries.

5. Ukrainian history is not only a history of ethnic Ukrainians.

6. A large part of today's Ukraine was part of the Kingdom of Poland for much longer than it was part of the Russian Empire or the USSR.

7. In order to adequately describe the linguistic situation in Ukraine, it is important to take into account the situational nature of bilingualism and the important role of the mixed language Surzhyk as a socio-cultural transitional phenomenon.

8. German troops occupied the territory of present-day Ukraine twice in the 20th century (in 1918 and 1941).

9. Ukrainian history could be framed through the prism of the category "liberation struggle" (according to Anna Veronika Wendland).

10. Reflecting on history is important in order to understand the present and the future.

Science as an elementary part of Ukraine's reconstruction

The challenges faced by Ukrainian scientists during the war were the subject of the panel discussion "Between exile and return", in which Susann Worschech talked to Dr Philipp Schmädeke (science at risk) and Dr Kateryna Kobchenko (University of Münster). According to Susann Worschech, it is necessary to "take the professions of Ukrainian scientists seriously" and to stabilise their research in Germany. After the "brain drain", there needs to be a "brain circulation" - a continuous exchange of knowledge between Ukrainians and academics and institutions in other countries, demanded Philipp Schmädeke. However, there is still a lack of awareness of "what an intellectual treasure is associated with this", said Susann Worschech. In order to establish long-term and sustainable collaborations, KIU has set up a tandem system, among other things, with the aim of establishing long-term, intensive academic collaboration and exchange between German professors and visiting academics. KIU coordinator Susann Worschech is convinced that "science should also be seen as an elementary part of the reconstruction of Ukraine". It is important to adapt the funding programmes in line with demand in order to enable institutional cooperation in addition to research stays by Ukrainian academics.

Translated by Deepl and edited