Prof. Volodymyr Yermolenko’s lecture will be followed by a discussion chaired by Prof. Kornelia Kończal.

This event is organised by Wissenswerkstadt Bielefeld and the Working Group Public History at the Bielefeld University in cooperation with Europa GrenzenLos e.V., Understand Ukraine and UkraineWorld.

The event will take place in English language.

What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean in practice? How are people in Ukraine - both in Kyiv and in the frontline areas - coping with war and occupation? What are the most important and controversial issues in Ukraine today? How do Ukrainian writers and intellectuals imagine the post-war future of their country? And to what extent is the ongoing war a direct challenge for Germany and Europe as a whole? By creating a space to learn about Ukraine from Ukrainians, this event aims to provide a much-needed counterpoint to the widespread tendency towards Westsplaining.

Prof. Volodymyr Yermolenko is a Ukrainian philosopher, journalist and volunteer. He is an alumnus of CEU Budapest/Vienna and EHESS Paris, a lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, president of PEN Ukraine and editor of the book "Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals" (among others). Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has regularly travelled to the war zone on humanitarian and information missions. His podcast "Explaining Ukraine" and online platform UkraineWorld are an important source of information and analysis for the international community.

Kornelia Kończal is Assistant Professor of Public History at the Bielefeld University.