Ukrainians are now suffering under an illegal and brutal invasion of Russia. International aggression has major consequences and can lead to mass losses of human lives. 2.4 million dead in Iraq. 1.2 million dead in Afghanistan and Pakistan in US war against the Taliban. Can that kind of fate still be prevented in Ukraine?

The Western response is caught in a war fever: sanctions against Russia, weapons to Ukraine and more military budgets for NATO. US and European policymakers are already preparing for a protracted guerrilla war, some openly talking about ​​turning Ukraine into a new ‘Afghanistan’. Although the primary fault is clearly with the invader, Russia – the West seems eager to prolong the war indefinately. Could diplomacy succeed and prevent such a tragic fate?

In this decolonial learning session, we’ll dive deeply into the origins of the 8-year long war in Ukraine to debunk some of the common misconceptions about the country. From the EuroMaidan movement to the relevance of fascist movements; from the expansion of NATO and Russian imperialism to IMF neoliberal imposition in Ukraine. How can a balanced account of the conflict help us further towards a peace accord? And what can people in the West actually do in solidarity with Ukraine?

For the audio recording, click here

Bio Volodymyr Ishchenko
Volodymyr Ishchenko is a research associate at the Institute of East European Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. His research focused on protests and social movements, revolutions, radical right and left politics, nationalism and civil society. He authored a number of peer-reviewed articles and interviews on contemporary Ukrainian politics, the Euromaidan uprising, and the ensuing war in 2013-14 — published in Post-Soviet Affairs, Globalizations and New Left Review, among other journals. He has been a prominent contributor to major international media outlets, such as The Guardian and Jacobin since 2014. He is working on a collective book manuscript, The Maidan Uprising: Mobilization, Radicalization, and Revolution in Ukraine, 2013-2014.

Reading tips
> Nationalist Radicalisation Trends in Post-Euromaiden Ukraine, click here

> How Maidan Revolutions Reproduce and Intensify the Post-Soviet Crisis of Political Representation, click here

> Ukrainians Are Far From Unified on NATO. Let Them Decide for Themselves, click here

> A Russian Invasion of Ukraine Could Destabilize Russia’s Political Order, click here

> Russia’s war in Ukraine may finally end the post-Soviet condition, click here

> `Stopping the war is the absolute priority´, click here