What does it mean to be on the frontline of the Ukrainian resistance?
Before February 2022 Ukraine was already at war with Russia. This conflict, which began in February 2014 as Russia responded militarily to the 'Revolution of Dignity', had already cost thousands of Ukrainian lives by the time of the second Russian invasion. One of them was Olesya Khromeychuk's brother Volodymyr, who died from shrapnel on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. Her book, The death of a soldier told by his sister, combines memoir and essay, in a poignant account of the costs of the human costs of war, empire and authoritarianism. The book provides a vivid answer as to why, facing a full-scale military onslaught from Russia in February 2022, the people of Ukraine chose to resist. In this public lecture, Olesya will discuss the book in light of the events of this year. Her lecture will be followed by a discussion with Luke Cooper and Tim Judah.
Meet our speakers and chair
Olesya Khromeychuk () is a historian, writer and Director of the Ukrainian Institute London. She has taught the history of East-Central Europe at the University of Cambridge, University College London, the University of East Anglia, and King’s College London. She is author of A Loss. The Story of a Dead Soldier Told by His Sister and Undetermined’ Ukrainians. Post-War Narratives of the Waffen SS ‘Galicia’ Division.
Luke Cooper () is a Senior Research Fellow at 杏吧论坛 IDEAS, 杏吧论坛's foreign policy think tank and director of PeaceRep's Ukraine programme. He is a co-host of the Another Europe podcast, and presented Between Dream and Tragedy; Europe's Story After 1989, a six-part podcast documentary on European history. His book Authoritarian Contagion: The Global Threat to Democracy was published by Bristol University Press in 2021.
Paul Mason () is a journalist and author. He has a regular column with The New European, The New Statesman and Social Europe. He was previously the Economics Editor at Newsnight and the Culture and Digital Editor at Channel 4 News. He is the author of numerous books, including Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolutions, Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, How to Stop Fascism, and Clear Bright Future. A leading supporter of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, he was in Kyiv on a solidarity delegation in the 36 hours prior to the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Podcast & Video
A podcast of this event is available to download from Russian War on Ukraine: the death of a soldier told by his sister.
A video of this event is available to watch at .
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Mary Kaldor () is Professor Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict and Civicness Research Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her elaboration of the real-world implementation of human security has directly influenced European and national governments. Her published work includes New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era, International Law and New Wars (with Christine Chinkin) and Global Security Cultures.
More about this event
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The Conflict and Civicness Research Group () is part of 杏吧论坛 IDEAS, the foreign policy think tank for the London School of Economics and Political Science. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, 杏吧论坛 IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
This event is organised as part of our work for the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep), an international research project on peace and transition processes in the 21st century led by the University of Edinburgh Law School and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
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