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Updated Resources - October 23, 2024
Ukrainian women in traditionally embroidered coats and head scarfs (the color red features prominently in traditional and festive Ukrainian garb) stand in memory near the sign for the National Museum of the Holodomar Genocide. The Holodomar (1932 - 1933), also known as the Ukrainian Famine or the Ukrainian Genocide is of great importance to Ukrainian historical memory. Its occurrence and providence was met with Soviet denial and downplaying, with public discussion of the subject banned in the Soviet Union until the glasnost period of the 1980s. ("The Head of State, the First Lady commemorated the victims of the famines in Ukraine." by The Office of the President of Ukraine is in the Public Domain, CC0)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
The Telegraph via Apple Podcasts - Ukraine: The Latest
Handmade tributes hang near the site of the “Angels of Victory” memorial honoring those who fell during the defense and liberation of the village of Moshchun in Kyiv Oblast. At war’s outset, the fate of Ukraine and the capital was decided in the battles for the towns and villages of Kyiv region ("Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored the memory of the warriors fallen in the battle for Moshchun." by The Office of the President of Ukraine is in the Public Domain, CC0)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
In addition to our weekly resource update, today we also offer an updated collection of pieces on the Israeli-Hamas war.
Of late, political undulations, escalations in nuclear policy, and more have drawn media focus away from the war’s epicenter in Ukraine. There, the situation is not as many would’ve hoped earlier in the year - Zelensky’s ‘Victory Plan’ is met with continued Western caution, the Kursk operation has not yielded the desired turning point, and fighting in the Donbas remains dire. Today we return to the besieged country, gleaning a deeper understanding of war’s intersections with myriad sectors of society, its threat to national identity, Ukrainian sentiments on ending the war, and the struggles and resilience of the Ukrainian spirit.
Desk Russie begins this discussion with insight on Ukraine’s three fronts: Russian invaders, domestic challenges, and Western hesitancy. Zelensky’s ‘Victory Plan’ is met with a cool reception in the West as outlined in Responsible Statecraft. Re: Russia examines Russia’s war on Ukrainian identity carried out as a ‘total policy of de-Ukrainization’ in the occupied territories. Further inquiry by The Kyiv Independent into Russia’s ‘memory policy’ in the occupied territories reveals how Ukraine’s own history is weaponized against it. Another piece from Desk Russie examines the forced deportation of Ukrainian children into Russia in the context of this battle for identity and in light of Russian demographics.
This de-Ukrainization continues with The Kyiv Independent’s examination of the life and work of Viktoriia Roshchyna, the 27 year old journalist who died in Russian captivity shortly before she was set to be released home to Ukraine. Meduza continues to explore wartime journalism, this time through the lens of the Ukrainian government’s increasingly controlling treatment of journalists since the start of the Russian invasion.
In a different sector of society, Foreign Policy analyzes the critical role of the endangered Donbas city of Povrosk, a vital hub in the Ukrainian steel industry. The Washington Post shares news of Western backing for Ukraine’s telecom industry, marking the largest private sector investment since the Russian invasion began and a lifeline for the country’s beleaguered economy. A report from the Wilson Center offers insight on the general state of the nation’s economy. Another piece from the former details war’s devastating effects on the education of Ukrainian youth, a profound concern for the country’s labor resources for postwar reconstruction. A third piece from the Wilson Center contemplates the accessibility of justice in Ukraine amid war’s impact on the court system.
As to the war effort, Al Jazeera reports on the forceful measures taken by Ukraine’s conscription authorities, If those reports represent the ‘stick,’ The Washington Post examines the ‘carrot’ through a fascinating look at the recruitment efforts of Ukrainian brigades with advertising that ‘sells’ the war. Meduza offers a photo essay revealing life during brief lulls in combat for Ukrainian soldiers on the front. The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast offers a stark view of the war from front line troops.
Another photo essay from Meduza reveals the liminal existence in Kurakhove, a city where Russian forces approach from both North and East and many (though not all) are evacuating. The Insider offers a view of the resilience, defiance, and patriotism of daily life in embattled Kharkiv. A second piece from the publication explores how Crimea’s smallest indigenous group, the Karaites, have withstood life under Russian occupation. An essay in The New Yorker recounts how war and daily life meld as Kyivans grow fatigued of its costs. The Conversation presents the results of a recent survey which may suggest that increasing numbers of war-weary Ukrainians would reticently trade territory for lives. An opposing view from The Washington Post suggests that despite the pressure the nation is under to enter negotiations, soldiers and their families in the eastern regions are likely to oppose ceding territory.
We conclude our update with heartening palate cleansers. One piece from The Kyiv Independent shares how Ukrainian puzzlemaker Frisson highlights local artists and offers war weary citizens a respite, while another reveals the humanity and friendship rolling along Ukraine’s railroad tracks. For the nation’s youngest, The Conversation highlights how Ukrainian publishers have prioritized trauma-informed children’s books in the wake of the invasion offering a supportive lens for the experiences children have faced.
In the overview, a stirring plea for immediate ceasefires between Russia and Ukraine, and in Gaza signed by 51 Nobel laureates implores leaders to end the carnage and lower the threat of nuclear catastrophe. In videos, a new documentary on the plight of Ukrainians living on the left bank of the Kherson region, as well as a primer on de-escalation talks from George Beebe. Find also a firsthand account from a soldier in a Chechen volunteer batallion who fights for Ukraine in pursuit of independence in the Caucasus. In the arts, how Russian authors write about the war under the tension of wartime literary censorship and Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia hosts GogolFEST, one of Europe’s most influential cultural festivals.
Find these stories and so many more in today’s Russia-Ukraine resource update. Visit our blog for the latest perspectives on the Israel-Hamas War, , including the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and escalation with Iran, as well as the most recent reflections from our network on the ground in the region.
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