STATEMENT, 24 February 2022
Ukraine has been invaded by military forces of the Russian Federation. Cambridge Ukrainian Studies condemns Russia's horrific war of aggression against a free, democratic Ukraine and its diverse citizens. These attacks against Ukraine are an attack on us all.
As an academic centre committed to the study of Ukraine, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies is working to inform the world public about the moral stakes of this war. We are calling for overwhelming sanctions against the Kremlin and for urgent economic, military, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. We are urging the British government to remove, immediately, restrictions on visas for Ukrainians. Above all, we are explaining to the public why we all need to make everyday sacrifices to support Ukraine over the long term. We need to prepare to invest creatively and passionately in Ukraine and its future. The cost to us at the petrol station is nothing compared to the cost to peace and international security if we abandon Ukraine or bend to the whim of war criminals who seek to destroy it as a sovereign, independent European country.
Looking for ways to help? Our partners at the Ukrainian Institute London have a list of vetted, deserving organizations and institutions to support right here. Download and distribute this flyer here.
Our Mission
Cambridge Ukrainian Studies, an academic centre at the University of Cambridge, aims to promote and contribute to the study of Ukraine in the United Kingdom and beyond. It is committed to deepening public understanding of Ukraine and to advancing fresh, innovative approaches to research on the largest country within Europe, a critical crossroads between 'East' and 'West' with a rich historical, linguistic, and cultural inheritance.
While its primary focus is on the literature and culture of Ukraine, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies seeks to explore – and challenge – conventional notions of disciplinary and geographical borders and to foster a lively exchange between artists, scholars, politicians, and the wider public, as well as between institutions of higher learning in Ukraine, Europe, and North America.
Cambridge Ukrainian Studies was made a permanent programme in 2010.