Lecture Series Winter Semester 2026/2027

In the Winter Semester 2026/2027, the The KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies invites students, colleagues at European University Viadrina, and everyone interested to a public Ukraine Lecture Series dedicated to the topic of Transitional Justice in Ukraine.

The lecture series brings together academics, researchers, legal experts, and practitioners from Ukraine, Germany, and beyond to explore how Ukraine is addressing the legal, political, and societal consequences of Russia’s war of aggression.

Across the semester, the lectures will examine a broad range of perspectives and questions, including the documentation and prosecution of atrocities, legal perspectives on Russia’s policies toward Ukrainian children, decolonisation as a dimension of transitional justice, accountability for international crimes, memory and remembrance, democratic renewal, and the challenges of reconstruction.

The programme has been developed in cooperation with the Faculty of Law at European University Viadrina and Prof. Dr. Nella Sayatz.

When: Every Monday starting on 26 October 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
Where: Gräfin-Dönhoff-Gebäude (GD), Europaplatz 1, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder)

 

Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukraine has undergone profound political transformation, marked by both democratisation and democratic backsliding. The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 initiated far-reaching reforms aimed at EU accession, strengthening democracy and the rule of law. At the same time, Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and war of aggression since 2014, culminating in the full-scale invasion, have raised urgent questions of justice and accountability. International law violations, human rights abuses, war crimes, and collaboration with the occupying power require legal responses at both the international and national levels. At the same time, Ukraine faces the challenge of addressing the social and political consequences of violence, destruction, resistance, and reconstruction.

Transitional justice has therefore become central to Ukraine’s present and future. It encompasses judicial and non-judicial mechanisms such as criminal prosecution, truth-seeking, reparations, institutional reform, and memorialisation, with the aim of ensuring accountability, recognising victims, and creating the foundations for sustainable peace and democratic renewal. Research at KIU will examine transitional justice, the legal and institutional prosecution of war crimes and mass atrocities, political and sociological approaches to coming to terms with violence, remembrance culture and policy, and processes of social and political reconstruction.