Review: Winter School “Ukrainian Migration in Europe and Worldwide in the 20th and 21st Centuries” 2026
The Winter School “Ukrainian Migration in Europe and Worldwide in the 20th and 21st Centuries” took place on 23-27 March 2026, at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich and explored the topic of Ukrainian migration in its many dimensions.
Over 25 international speakers and more than 20 participants from Ukraine, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Estonia, Poland, Norway, and the United Kingdom explored a comprehensive historical perspective on Ukrainian migration in the 20th and 21st centuries. They discussed how Ukrainian culture, particularly literature, has reflected migration, and examined how Ukrainians have experienced flight and migration, considering their age and gender. The legal and political dimensions of the phenomenon, including the regional dynamics of migration, as well as the perceptions of Ukrainians and Russia’s war against Ukraine, were also in the focus of the event.
In addition to the daily lectures, presentations, and discussions, the public evening events were special highlights of the Winter School.
Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (The Greens, Member of the European Parliament 2019–2024) and Guido Hausmann (Denkraum Ukraine; IOS Regensburg; University of Regensburg) spoke about the current challenges facing Germany and the EU in the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The following evening, a discussion between author Marjana Gaponenko, literary critic Alexander Kratochvil (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), and Verena Nolte (Kulturallmende gUG) focused on literature and art in the context of war and migration. They discussed, above all, how artistic forms of expression respond to experiences of violence, loss, and displacement, and what role they play in social negotiation processes.
As part of the screening of “Haytarma,” a film addressing the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944, participants and visitors had the opportunity to engage in conversation with Ukrainian director, actor, and screenwriter of Crimean Tatar descent Akhtem Seitableiev. They gained insights into the making of the film as well as the historical and personal contexts of the subject.
On 26 March, another panel discussion featuring Katrin Boeckh (Denkraum Ukraine; IOS Regensburg; Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), Tanja Hoggan-Kloubert (University of Augsburg), and Jana Osterkamp (Bukovina Institute; University of Augsburg) focused on Ukrainian migration to Germany since 2022. This current process was compared with German experiences of displacement after 1945 to identify similarities and differences.
The full program of the Winter School is available here.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the speakers, participants, and co-organizers of the Winter School for this enriching week, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
The 2026 Winter School “Ukrainian Migration in Europe and Worldwide in the 20th and 21st Centuries” was organized by “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine” at the University of Regensburg, financed by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) through the funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA), the Ukrainian Free University (UFU, Munich), the Bukovina Institute at the University of Augsburg, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Slavic Department) and the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) Regensburg.