Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin (KIU)

About

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The KIU competence network is a four-year DAAD-funded project to strengthen Ukraine-related research, teaching, networking and transfer activities. The competence network, initiated and led by the European University Viadrina, includes the ZOiS, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin.

KIU – Competence Network for Interdisciplinary Ukraine Studies Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin, led by the European University Viadrina, and the ‘Denkraum Ukraine’ Regensburg are the two Ukraine Centers in Germany funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Together, they are working on building Ukraine-related academic research and teaching, disseminating Ukraine expertise in politics, academia, media, and civil society, as well as promoting a Europe-wide dialogue with Ukraine.

 

KIU – Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukraine Studies

Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin

News

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Film screening & discussion — ‘Prisoners: The System of Terror’ (documentary)

Monday, 6.00 p.m. | KINO KROKODIL, Greifenhagener Str. 32, Berlin | Registration required | We cordially invite you to the screening of the documentary film ‘Prisoners: The System of Terror’ by Activatica. The film documents the system of abduction, detention and torture established by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Based on powerful testimonies from abducted civilians, it shows what happens to people when they fall into Russian captivity, how they try to survive, and how they fight for their release. At the centre of the film is the civil rights activist Oleksandr Tarasov from Kherson, who organised non-violent resistance actions against the occupiers and was abducted by Russian troops as a result. His story stands for thousands of others: the film makes visible that this system has developed over time and operates entirely outside any legal framework. To this day, thousands of people remain in torture prisons. At the same time, the film raises the urgent question of what international actors must do to prevent further human rights violations and to free civilian hostages.

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Book talk and screening of the video essay ‘Images and Objects of Russia’s War Against Ukraine’ with Natasha Klimenko, Miglė Bareikytė, Viktoriya Sereda

TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | GD HS 08 (Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building), Europa-Universität Viadrina I Hybrid format I Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has destroyed lives, communities, and cities. From the start, images of this destruction spread across various media platforms. Paintings, photographs, drone footage, TikToks, and Instagram posts shaped how the war is experienced, represented, and archived. In the multidisciplinary volume Images and Objects of Russia’s War against Ukraine (Natasha Klimenko, Miglė Bareikytė, Viktoriya Sereda, eds.), artists, scholars, and writers from Ukraine and beyond explore how art, media, infrastructures, and material culture respond to and contest the Russo–Ukrainian War. This book-talk will feature a presentation of the volume Images and Objects of Russia’s War against Ukraine. The editors of the book will explore how different forms of media and artistic expression document and interpret the war, influence collective memory, and engage with the lived realities of the war. In addition, the event will include a screening of an essay film based on selected contributions from the book, highlighting the intersections of art, media, and war. By combining a presentation, video essay, and discussion, the event aims to provide an interdisciplinary reflection on war, visual culture, and media-infrastructural practices in Ukraine.

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Waldemar Rapior: Transnational Resilience Infrastructures — Solidarity in Times of National Egocentrism and War

TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. I GD HS 08 (Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building), Europa-Universität Viadrina I Hybrid format I This lecture examines Polish–Ukrainian and German–Ukrainian relations at the micro level by analysing the practices of activists and volunteers engaged in transnational mobilization beyond the nation-state. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative research and Norbert Elias’s figurational sociology, it explores how grassroots activism has produced a durable yet adaptable social infrastructure of resilience. Based on in-depth interviews (2023–2025), participant observation in aid convoys to Lviv and Kyiv, and follow-up interviews, the lecture analyses how support practices change under shifting geopolitical conditions. The analysis addresses forms of social infrastructure that have emerged in Central and Eastern Europe in response to war and geopolitical fragmentation, and the role of activists in shaping transnational solidarity. The lecture shows how grassroots networks adapt and endure, offering viable models of cross-border cooperation in an increasingly fragmented Europe.

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Call for Applications: W3 Professorship in Ukrainian Studies

The Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences invites applications for a tenured position at the rank of Full Professor in Ukrainian Studies. The successful candidate shall focus on Ukrainian studies (19th-21st century) in a transnational and a global context through their teaching, research, and the transfer of knowledge. We are seeking candidates who will develop the field in an internationally visible manner, participate in national and international research collaborations, and contribute to further establishing the Viadrina as a leading centre for Ukrainian studies worldwide. The position plays a pivotal role in developing the institutional structures of interdisciplinary research on Eastern Europe and Ukraine at Viadrina, assuming both leadership and management responsibilities. | For more details, please visit the relevant Viadrina page.

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Call for Applications: KIU Research Fellowships on Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies, Summer Term 2026

The KIU Research Fellowship supports outstanding, interdisciplinary research related to Ukraine. Scholars from fields such as history, the social sciences, science andtechnology studies, economics, media and legal studies, cultural and conflict studies, and related areas are invited to deepen their projects, expand academic networks, andcontribute to a dynamic Ukraine-focused research environment. For the summer term 2026 we are offering both on-site and non-residential fellowships for committed scientists from all the above-mentioned disciplines. Research topics should be related to our recent semester topic: ‘Nationalities, minorities and identity: (Re)Configuring Ukraine?’. Applications are accepted until 15 January 2026.

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Bounded Solidarity: Poland and Ukraine amid Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has taken a harder line on Ukraine: he opposes Kyiv’s NATO bid, rules out sending Polish troops under any circumstances, and has tightened domestic support for Ukrainian refugees. The country remains strongly critical of Russia, but this does not mean unlimited solidarity with Ukraine.

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Fellowships and Programmes

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Fellowships

The KIU Research Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies supports innovative and significant research on topics related to Ukraine.

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Programmes

The KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin offers various programmes. Among them is its first Summer School on "War in Ukraine: Destruction of heritage – mastering legacy".

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Partners

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