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 is initiated and managed by the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), and includes the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Free University of Berlin, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin, as well as partner institutions from Ukraine and other European countries.

KIU – Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies

Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin

News

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Exploring the North Azovian Greeks in Ukraine: A Practitioner and Community-Rooted Perspective on Languages, Identity, and War

This block seminar explores the experiences of the North Azovian Greeks (Urums and Roumeans) — an autochthonous community of Ukraine — through a practitioner and community-rooted perspective. The course focuses on how identity is shaped and preserved through language, cultural practices, and collective memory, while also introducing key historical contexts and their lasting impact on present-day forms of belonging and self-identification.

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Elmira Muratova: ‘From Repatriation to Recognition: Crimean Tatars and State Policy in Independent Ukraine’

MONDAY, 4 - 6 p.m. | Hybrid format I This lecture explores the complex relationship between the Crimean Tatars and the Ukrainian state, tracing their history from deportation and return to ongoing struggles for recognition and rights. Focusing on post-Soviet developments and the impact of the 2014 annexation of Crimea, it highlights key political, social, and cultural challenges faced by this indigenous people. More details...

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Call for Papers |Interdisciplinary Conference ‘Transitional Justice beyond the rule-based world order'

The European University Viadrina and the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy invite scholars and practitioners to submit abstracts for an interdisciplinary conference on Transitional Justice on 1–2 December 2026 in Frankfurt (Oder). The conference will explore how societies address grave human rights violations, rebuild institutions, restore trust, and pursue peace and justice amid shifting global orders and new forms of conflict. | Submission deadline: 15 June 2026.

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Kateryna Haertel: Majority-minority relations in Ukraine: State minority politics in a changed security context

MONDAY, 4 - 6 p.m. | Hybrid format I This lecture examines how Russia’s interventions since 2014 have transformed majority–minority relations, reframing diversity through a security lens and reshaping identity dynamics in contemporary Ukraine. More details...

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Ukraine’s Agency Between Geopolitics and Historical Narratives

For a long time, Ukraine was regarded as a border region, a bridge, or a buffer zone – not an independent political actor. But this image has changed significantly since the country began defending itself against Russia’s invasion. ZOiS spotlight by KIU Fellow Georgiy Kasianov.

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Hungary after the elections – what does Magyar’s victory mean for relations with Ukraine?

Péter Magyar and his TISZA party defeated the incumbent Viktor Orbán. In a new episode of the KIUrious Interview series, political scientist Sonja Priebus of the European University Viadrina says that whilst the election results will usher in closer EU- Ukraine relations, the national-conservative positions heavily associated with Orbán will remain under the new government, and bilateral conflicts with Kyiv are likely to persist for the time being.

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Fourty Years After Chornobyl: Echoes of the Catastrophe in Times of War

Fourty years after the Chernobyl disaster, its impact is far from over. In a special edition of the KIUrious Interview Series, environmental and cultural scholar Darya Tsymbalyuk and historian Klaus Gestwa reflect on what the 1986 catastrophe meant for the country, its people, and the environment — and why Chernobyl remains highly relevant today.

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Certificate Programme in Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies for Master’s students

The Certificate Programme is a supplementary academic programme focusing on Ukraine, its history, culture, and society. It is open to Master’s students at the European University Viadrina and other German universities. The programme is the first comprehensive Ukrainian Studies programme at master’s level in Germany. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective on Ukraine by bringing together approaches from the social sciences, cultural studies, law, economics, and media studies. More details...

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Fellowships and Study

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Research

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Partners

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