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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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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Russki Mir. Resistance in the occupied territories of Ukraine

Wednesday, 6:30 p.m - 8:00 p.m. | Event language: German | Registration required | Ukrainisches Haus, QF-Passage, UG Neumarkt 2, 01067 Dresden | While the acts of war and war crimes in Ukraine have been extensively documented, knowledge about what is happening in the occupied territories is limited. This is particularly true in one area that poses particular dangers for those involved: resistance to the occupation. In the first part of the event, Dr Susann Worschech, Scientific Coordinator of KIU (European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder) will provide an overview of the current state of research and the various forms of resistance in Ukraine. In the second part, journalist Alice Bota will report on her research on the occupied Ukrainian city of Berdyansk, the challenges this journalistic work entails, and the role resistance to the occupation plays here. After a moderated discussion, both speakers will be available to answer questions from the audience.

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International Conference ‘Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Recovery & the Future of Europe’

Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Registration required | Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Recovery & the Future of Europe brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to reflect on post-war reconstruction, security challenges, governance, humanitarian recovery, and Ukraine’s role in the future of Europe. The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and a roundtable with international experts working on Ukraine, European security, and post-conflict transformation. | Organised by: KIU / European University Viadrina, Freie Universität Berlin, Kyiv School of Economics & The Ukraine Foundation | More details & the full speaker lineup coming soon.

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Svitlana Matviyenko: Terror Infrastructures under and beyond Occupation - Environing Regimes of Control

Hybrid format | TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., GD HS 08 | Zoom-Link in the event description | What does it mean to conduct war environmentally? What assemblages and materialities are entangled within the war environment? The talk will theorize the notion of terror environment as the realm of double targeting the population by weapons and information during the RF’s war against Ukraine. The anchoring point of such terror environment preceding the ongoing war is found at the nexus of ecocide and genocide. It has become prominent through the many acts of energy terrorism that have been deployed during the current war taking place within a colonial legacy wherein the imperial vector of terror that has long been aligned with a hidden inter-imperial vector of deterrence. Svitlana Matviyenko is an Associate Professor of Critical Media Analysis in the School of Communication and Associate Director of the Digital Democracies Institute, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby (Canada).

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‘War Songs’: Film Screening & Talk with Sashko Protyah, Freefilmers Mariupol

Hybrid format | TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., GD HS 08 | Zoom-Link in the event description | ‘War Songs’ is a documentary musical which tells the story of war and pacifism through songs and melodies recorded in Mariupol from the end of 20th century to the beginning of 2022, when the city was erased and captured by Russia. In the context of the KIU lecture series, the film and activism of the Freefilmers, of which S. Protyah is a member, demonstrate ongoing infrastructural resilience, which is always a socio-technical practice. This involves the analysis, critique and memorisation of destroyed infrastructures, such as of Mariupol through experimental and documentary filmmaking, with the aim of maintaining contemporary socio-technical infrastructures in Ukraine. Sashko Protyah (1978) is a film director and activist from Mariupol, Ukraine. He is a co-founder of Freefilmers, a collective of artists and filmmakers. In his films, he works with topics of memory, otherness, and alienation. His films have been screened at different events and venues, including Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Hungry Eyes festival, EVA International, and Gwangju Biennale. Sashko Protyah will be screening his film ‘War Songs’ (47:28 min) at the KIU lecture series and will also be participating in the following Q & A session.

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Energoatom – A Sign That Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Institutions Are Working

A recent corruption scandal at the state-owned energy company Energoatom has sparked debate in Ukraine. Oleksandra Keudel explains what the case reveals about anti-corruption reforms and democracy in wartime Ukraine.

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Keynote lecture: ‘On the Historical Roots and Contemporary Forms of Ukraine’s Struggle for Independence’ - Susann Worschech

Tickets required | Event language: German | TUESDAY, 6 - 9 p.m., Hygiene Museum Dresden | Independence and freedom play a central role in Ukraine’s self-understanding and stand at the heart of its historical memory. This is evident not only in national symbols, songs, the text of the national anthem and in literature, but also in three major revolutions since 1990 and, ultimately, in Ukraine’s active and still unbroken resistance against Russia’s war of aggression. The lecture will explain the foundations of the Ukrainian society’s uncompromising will for freedom, the forms it takes today, and why a Ukrainian defeat by Russia would pose an immense danger to Europe as a whole.

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Nataliia Mushyrovska: The Power of Ukrainian Memes - From Social Therapy to Building National Memory and Supporting Civilian Infrastructure

Hybrid format | TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., GD HS 08 | Zoom-Link in the event description | This presentation explores the role of memes in Ukraine during the ongoing war, emphasizing their power beyond humor. Ukrainian memes have become tools of social therapy, helping citizens cope with trauma and uncertainty through shared laughter. At the same time, they act as a form of national memory, capturing and preserving key wartime events and symbols in digital culture. Moreover, memes serve a practical purpose in supporting civilian infrastructure, mobilizing communities for fundraising, volunteering, and humanitarian aid. By analyzing these dimensions, the discussion highlights how memes contribute to resilience, solidarity, and cultural identity, making them an essential element of Ukraine’s resistance and future recovery.

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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)