Id-dekodifikazzjoni tal-kunflitt tal-Ukrajna

Wara l-invażjoni tal-Ukrajna mir-Russja fi Frar, Dar l-Istorja Ewropea kkummissjonat riċerka biex tipprovdi għarfien dwar il-kriżi u tgħin lill-udjenzi ta' Dar l-Istorja Ewropea jifhmu aħjar il-konsegwenzi ta' dak li qed jiġri fl-Ukrajna. Ir-riċerka, imwettqa minn Kristina Zmejauskaitė, studenta tal-istorja fil-livell ta' PhD fl-Università tal-Belt ta' Dublin, ġiet konkluża reċentement b'ġabra ta' madwar 20 artiklu u lekċer.

L-għan tal-proġett kien li jipprovdi lill-udjenzi ta' Dar l-Istorja Ewropea b'għarfien dwar il-gwerra permezz tal-fehim tal-istorja u tal-kwistjonijiet ta' memorja involuti.

L-oġġetti miġbura kellhom jirrappreżentaw perspettivi diversi u akkademikament b'saħħithom, iżda b'mod aċċessibbli għal udjenza ġenerali. Kellhom jindirizzaw ukoll sett speċifiku ta' mistoqsijiet bħal: Kif qed tiġi mobilizzata l-istorja fil-kuntest attwali, minn liema atturi, għal liema skopijiet u b'liema riżultati?

Ġew stabbiliti parametri oħra għar-riċerka. L-artikli u l-lekċers kellhom jiffukaw b'mod ċar fuq il-memorja u l-istorja, preferibbilment billi jikkontestwalizzaw id-dibattitu b'mod li jkun mifrux mal-Ewropa kollha. Kellhom jiġu wkoll minn persuni bbażati f'pajjiżi differenti u, għalhekk, setgħu jinkitbu jew jiġu prodotti f'lingwi differenti u kellhom ikunu analitiċi aktar milli jesprimu opinjoni.

Barra minn hekk, kellhom ikunu ppubblikati jew imtella' f'dawn l-aħħar ħames snin, jiġu minn sorsi identifikati b'mod ċar u affidabbli u kellhom jinkludu kontribuzzjonijiet minn storiċi u akkademiċi stabbiliti.

Dawn huma r-riżultati tar-riċerka:

• Presentation ‘The History of Ukraine is Different from the History of Russia’ by Carl Bildt - June 7, 2018.
• Lilia Shevtsova, “Russia’s Ukraine Obsession,” Journal of Democracy 31, no. 1 (2020): 138–47 - January 2020.
• Ivan Kurilla, ‘Nationalizing Russian (War) Memory Since 2014’, PONARS Eurasia - July 6, 2020.
• Anna Chebotarova, ‘Memory and Military Conflict: Politics of History and its Societal Perception in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine’, Euxeinos, Vol. 10, No. 29 / 2020.
• Jade McGlynn, “Moscow Is Using Memory Diplomacy to Export Its Narrative to the World,” Foreign Policy - June 25, 2021.
• Marylia Hushcha, International Institute for Peace, ‘Thirty years on – is there still ‘post-soviet’ space?’ - December 13, 2021.
• PBS News Hour ‘How Russia is trying to control history in bid for geo-political strength’ - December 28, 2021.
• Today Explained, ‘The Real and Imagined History of Ukraine’ with Timothy Snyder - February 25, 2022.
• Marlene Laruelle and Ivan Grek, ‘Decoding Putin’s Speeches: The Three Ideological Lines of Russia’s Military Intervention in Ukraine’ - February 25, 2022.
• Leo Goretti, ‘Putin’s Use and Abuse of History: Back to the 19th Century?’, IAI Istituto Affari Internazionali - March 1, 2022.
• Podcast series ‘Then & Now’ by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy. Special two-part episode ‘Ghosts of the Past in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine’ with Benjamin Nathans and Arch Getty - March 2, 2022.
• IARCEE Russian invasion of Ukraine Roundtable (Speakers: Tanya Lokot, Maciej Curpyś, Róisín Healy, Aneta Stępień, Maria Falina. Panel chaired by John Paul Newman) - March 9, 2022.
• The War in Ukraine and Universal Values.’ Public conversation with Serhii Plokhii and Timothy Snyder - March 11, 2022.
• Vladimir Putin and the Weaponization of History.’ Wilson Center NOW, online webinar with Izabella Tabarovsky and Katie Stallard - March 16, 2022.
• Podcast series ‘Then & Now’ episode ‘Understanding Ukraine Past and Present: A Conversation with Jared McBride’ - March 17, 2022. 
• Ukrainian Voices: The War Against a ‘non-existent’ language.’ Lecture by Natalya Kobchenko. Part of a series of lectures organized by the HEPP research group and the Aleksanteri Institute, at the University of Helsinki - April 5, 2022.
• Körber-Stiftung News article ‘War and Memory in the Post-Soviet Space: Weaponization without Limits?’ by Tatiana Zhurzhenko - April 14, 2022.
• Timothy Snyder, ‘The War in Ukraine Is a Colonial War’, The New Yorker - April 28, 2022. Additional: ‘Historian Timothy Snyder: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Is a Colonial War.’ In Democracy Now - May 5, 2022.
• Weaponizing the Past: the Role of Memory Politics in the Russian War in Ukraine.’ Lecture by Alina Mozolevska. Part of a series of lectures organized by the HEPP research group and the Aleksanteri Institute, at the University of Helsinki - April 21, 2022.

Ritratt: Valentin Kundeus via Adobe Stock "Monument tal-Indipendenza tal-Ukrajna quddiem il-bandiera Ukrena"