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 and the “Denkraum Ukraine” Regensburg, led by the European University Viadrina, 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.

 

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KIU – Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukraine Studies

Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin

News

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Roman Petrov (National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy): Can EU External Action ensure justice and fair Peace Deal for Ukraine in Trump 2.0 era? Mission im/possible?

UKRAINE LECTURE SERIES/ Monday, 7 July 2025, 6 pm, GD 102 EU External Action took its recent shape in 2009 when the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force. Since than the EU External Action has been seen as a successful tool for the EU to act as a global player and to promote its common values and its acquis via soft power, conditionality policy and EU enlargement. However, since 2014 the EU has faced a new world order where some superpowers annexed territories, launched brutal military aggression and consistently disregarded international law. Arrival of the Trump Administration in 2025 urges the EU and its Member States to consolidate mutual solidarity and to enhance their common foreign and security policy and to build up common defence mechanisms and to ensure justice and fair Peace Deal for Ukraine.

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On War and Empathy: Lithuanian Volunteer Engagement in Ukraine

8 July 2025, 12 am to 1.30 pm, ZOiS, Mohrenstraße 60, 10117 Berlin KIU BRIEFING ON UKRAINE/ Lithuania stands out as one of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters – not only at the governmental level, but also through extensive civil society engagement. Dozens of Lithuanian volunteers and organisations are actively delivering humanitarian aid and medical support to Ukraine – often at personal risk. What motivates these people and what is the end goal of their sustained involvement?

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KIU LUNCH LECTURE | Gaëlle Le Pavic (KIU Research Fellow) / Sabine von Löwis (ZOiS): Social support and solidarity towards Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s full-scale invasion in counter-intuitive settings: the case of Transnistria

Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 1 p.m., GD 206, Gräfin-Dönhoff-building, Europaplatz 1, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder) | This presentation explores social support and solidarity practices towards Ukrainians displaced to Transnistria following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Existing research highlights the crucial role of personal networks in providing social support, alongside the limited involvement of Transnistrian authorities in delivering humanitarian help to displaced Ukrainians. It also aims to speak about these support mechanisms within Transnistria’s complex geopolitical landscape. The exploratory studies of the displaced Ukrainians’ experience emphasise the importance of geographical proximity and social networks in the choice of Ukrainians to relocate to Transnistria, where 26% of inhabitants identify as Ukrainian.

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KIU Summer School 2025: Application portal is now open

Viadrina University invites students to the second KIU Summer School in Frankfurt (Oder), 8–19 September 2025. Under the theme ‘Ukraine in Europe: Controversies, Complexities and Agency’, the programme brings together international students and scholars to explore Ukraine’s cultural, political and historical ties with Europe. Highlights include a European integration simulation, conflict management workshops, and sessions on Crimean Tatar studies, alongside Ukrainian language courses, excursions and public discussions. Participants will receive travel reimbursement (up to €350) and a daily allowance. Deadline: 20 July 2025. | Open to BA, MA and PhD students worldwide.

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Conference The Civil Sphere in Central and Eastern Europe

Conference: The civil sphere in Central and Eastern Europe

On 30 June and 1 July, the conference ‘The civil sphere in Central and Eastern Europe’ will take place at the European University Viadrina. It features presentations and discussions with scholars from Europe and the U.S., focusing on case studies from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, and post-socialist East Germany. The event focuses on the roots of special civic and social dynamics in the region and their implications for current political realities and Europe's broader geopolitical context. | Participation in the full conference or individual sessions is welcome. Registration: civilsphere@europa-uni.de

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Keynote lecture: Can civil peace extend beyond the nation state? Europe, NATO and the US in the shadow of the Russia–Ukraine war

6 p.m. - 8p.m. | Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Yale University, founder of cultural sociology and leading theorist of the civil sphere, will give a public lecture at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). His lecture, titled ‘Can Civil Peace Extend beyond the Nation State? Europe, NATO, and the U.S. in the Shadow of the Russia-Ukraine War,’ will take place in the Senaatssaal HG 109 (Große Scharrnstraße 59) and will be followed by a Q&A session and reception. Join us at the Viadrina for this special occasion!

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LECTURE | Susann Worschech: From granite to yellow ribbon

Saturday, 28 June 2025, 9 to 10 p.m., Humboldt University of Berlin, main building, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Room 1072 | While preparations were being made for reunification in both Germanys on 2 October 1990, 100,000 people took to the city's central square in Kyiv to demonstrate for independence, freedom and democracy in Ukraine. This first of several major pro-democracy revolutions was formative for the following decades: the ideas, symbols and tactics of the ‘Granite Revolution’ permeate Ukrainian history and can be found in the resistance against Russian occupation and terror. In her lecture, Dr Susann Worschech, academic coordinator of the Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies - Berlin (KIU), will explain the background to the Ukrainian desire for freedom (suitable for audiences aged 14 and over). | Please note that the lecture will be held in German. Tickets are required for this event.

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New publication: "Ϊ – Ze Ukrajina! On the Resistance in the Occupied Territories" Yuriy-Matsiyevsky, Susann Worschech

How do people resist in territories occupied by Russian forces? This article by KIU fellow Yuriy Matsiyevsky (National University of Ostroh Academy) and Susann Worschech (European University Viadrina) explores the brave and often hidden forms of resistance in Ukraine's occupied regions, drawing on open-source data to shed light on underground networks, risks, and resilience. Read more in the Country Analyses.

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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

Funded by

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with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA)