‘The German Minority in Ukraine: History, Identity and Challenges in Times of War’ — Volodymyr Leysle

The German minority has been part of Ukraine’s history for centuries, contributing to the country’s economic, cultural, and social development while also experiencing repression, deportation, forced labour, and displacement.

In this lecture, Volodymyr Leysle will trace the history of the German minority in Ukraine from the eighteenth century to the present day. He will address historical memory, cultural heritage, language preservation, contemporary community life, and the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion on ethnic Germans in Ukraine and in Germany.

The lecture will also present findings from the first nationwide sociological survey of the German minority in independent Ukraine, offering insights into questions of identity, language, cultural affiliation, and self-perception.

Volodymyr Leysle has served as Chairman of the Council of Germans of Ukraine since 2009 and has worked in the fields of minority rights, intercultural dialogue, cultural heritage, and international cooperation since 1998.

He is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture and History of Germans in Northeast Europe (IKGN), a Fellow of the United Nations OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Programme, and a member of the European Dialogue Forum of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN). His work focuses on national minorities, the German minority in Ukraine, and minority policy in the context of Ukraine’s European integration.