Termine und Veranstaltungen

The current lecture series is aimed at revealing some of the aspects that pre-defined and framed the current occasions. On the one hand, the lectures will present the development of Ukrainian identity, nation and sovereignty in different historical context and under various, often contradicting factors. On the other hand, important part of the series is to show how Russia attempted to influence the country from several angles, often using media, culture and religion as tools of spreading narratives harmful for Ukrainian nation-building.

Russian crimes committed against the civilian population of Ukraine are not occasional but systemic and are an important element of Russian strategy. Therefore, from the point of view of international law, they meet Rafael Lemkin's classic definition of genocide. This is evidenced by a number of cases, for example, the crime committed by Russian troops in March 2022 in Bucza. Some of the bodies found there were arranged in such a way as to provide a clear message to both Ukrainians and the world's public opinion. The Russian genocide in Ukraine has two main goals. Firstly, to terrorize and break the spirit of resistance of the Ukrainians. Secondly, influence international public opinion by showing the atrocities of the war, accompanied by a Russian message addressed to the public opinion of the European Union and the United States: "You are responsible for this shattered war because you are supplying the Ukrainians with weapons, if they stop doing this, the war will end and there will be no more victims". Despite the obvious absurdity, such a narrative is taken seriously by some influential circles of democratic countries.

Adam Kuz is a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences and Administration, Kazimier Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. His main research focuses on geopolitics, security, peace and conflict studies, international relations and politics. Among his recent publications The geopolitical dimension of the Russia-West relationship in the concept of Eurasianism (Doctrina. Studia społeczno-polityczne, 2020), and Integration processes in Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries (Ante Portas - Studia Nad Bezpieczeństwem, 2019).

Webex Link for the lecture series: https://uni-flensburg.webex.com/uni-flensburg/j.php?MTID=m23bf7fc163fbf2a04766ae6edc1fb67e