Democracy Under Pressure?

A German-Ukrainian panel discussion marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Constitution

Date: 15 July 2026, 7:00–9:00 p.m.

Location: Evangelisches Bildungswerk Regensburg e.V., Am Ölberg 2, 93047 Regensburg, Bonhoeffer Hall (1st floor)

Organizers: Institute for East European Law at the University of Regensburg in cooperation with Denkraum Ukraine at the University of Regensburg, funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) from the Federal Foreign Office (AA), Evangelisches Bildungswerk Regensburg e.V., and the German Association for East European Studies (DGO), Regensburg Branch

Language: German

Democracy appears to be eroding across the globe -- or at least on the defensive -- in the so-called West and the Global South alike, and certainly in the East. Let’s take a closer look at this issue. Marking the 30th anniversary of the Ukrainian Constitution, we will discuss the state of democracy in Ukraine.

Independence was initially followed by a "lost decade." In the new millennium, a mobilization of civil society unprecedented in the post-Soviet world -- epitomized by the "Maidan" movement -- drove the democratization of many areas of life; it looked so threatening for neighboring Russia that it launched a war against Ukraine.

The war places Ukrainian democracy under strain, for instance by making elections and referendums impossible. At the same time, however, society and the state are responding to the threat with remarkable resilience.

We will also examine developments in Germany. Its history is characterized by long-standing democratic traditions, yet also by fundamental ruptures. For some years now, democracy and civil society in Germany have been under pressure of a kind that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.

Moderators:

• Professor Dr. Gerrit Manssen, University of Regensburg
• Antje Himmelreich, Institute for East European Law, University of Regensburg

Panelists:

• Professor Dr. Roman Melnyk (Ukraine), currently Maqsut Narikbayev University, Astana
• Darja Meshcherjakova (Ukraine), European Pravda and POLITICO, Kyiv
• Professor Dr. Alexander Tischbirek (Germany), University of Regensburg