Petrach Program on Ukraine

Today, we gathered in remembrance, reflection, and solidarity.

Marking four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the opening of DIA/spora at the Elliott School brought together community members, students, and scholars to honor resilience through culture. Igor Martiniouk’s photographs of Ukrainian youth in the diaspora reveal quiet acts of resistance that preserve language, tradition, and identity far from home. In a time marked by loss and uncertainty, these moments of dance, community, and belonging remind us that culture endures, and that remembrance itself is an act of resistance.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for this meaningful evening, including the artist conversation moderated by Dr. Oksana Yakushko, and for sharing community, dialogue, and traditional Ukrainian food.

DIA/spora remains on view through March 10 at the Elliott School of International Affairs (2nd Floor Atrium & Exhibition Space). We invite you to visit, reflect, and remember with us.

Culture cannot be erased.

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, DIA/spora tells a story of resilience. This photographic exhibition by Igor Martiniouk documents Ukrainian youth in the diaspora preserving language, tradition, and community far from home, reminding us that identity survives even in displacement.

Rather than images of war, the exhibition captures quiet acts of resistance: rehearsals for folk dances, celebrations of Taras Shevchenko, moments of prayer, laughter, and belonging. These everyday gestures affirm that Ukrainian culture continues to live, evolve, and endure beyond borders.

At a time when cultural heritage is under attack, remembrance becomes responsibility, and culture becomes defiance.

📍 Elliott School of International Affairs
🗓 February 24 — March 10
📌 2nd Floor Atrium & Exhibition Space

✨ Opening Reception & Artist Conversation
with Igor Martiniouk, moderated by Dr. Oksana Yakushko
🕐 1:00 PM
🥟 Reception featuring traditional Ukrainian cuisine

Join us to remember, reflect, and stand in solidarity with Ukraine.

📣 Calling Ukrainian scholars

The Petrach Program on Ukraine at the George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies is now accepting applications for fully funded fellowships supporting research on Ukraine and international affairs.

In partnership with Kyiv School of Economics and Ukrainian Global University, these opportunities support scholars based in Ukraine or displaced by the war.

✨ 2026–2027 Fellowships include:
• Non-resident (12 months | $800/month | 12 spots)
• Junior Visiting in Washington, D.C. (12 months | $60,000 | 1 spot)
• Senior Visiting in Washington, D.C. (5 months | $35,000 | 2 spots)

If you’re researching Ukraine, policy, or international affairs, this is your chance to connect, publish, teach, and grow within a global academic community.

📝 Find more information and the application in the bio.
📅 Cycle: Sept 2026 – Aug 2027

Tag a scholar. Share widely. Opportunities like this change careers and conversations. 💙💛

Our annual Workshop on Contemporary Ukrainian Politics 2026, “Are the Walls Closing in on Ukraine? When Anti-Imperial Resilience Meets Domestic Scandal & Trump Diplomacy,” brought together leading scholars, journalists, and policy experts to explore a timely question: How do domestic politics, international pressure, and evolving U.S. diplomacy shape Ukraine’s path forward during wartime?

We began with a keynote address from William B. Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, who opened the conference with reflections drawn from decades of diplomacy and firsthand experience, offering candid insights into the realities of negotiating peace and the stakes for sovereignty.

During our first roundtable, Mikhail A. Alexseev from San Diego State University, Nadia Bureiko from the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism,” Oleksiy Haran of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Timothy Frye from Columbia University, and Andrew Wilson of University College London, moderated by Jill Dougherty of CNN and Georgetown University, discussed and shared their research on domestic influences on Ukrainian diplomacy.

In the second session, Ibrahim Muradov from the University of British Columbia, Alina Nychyk of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Mitchell Orenstein from the University of Pennsylvania, Maryna Rabinovych of the Kyiv School of Economics and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and Maksym Yakovlyev from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, with moderation by Catherine Dale of George Washington University, presented insights from their research on navigating peace diplomacy in the Trump era.

Across both conversations, one message stood out: Ukraine’s fight is about democratic governance, accountability, and the right to determine its own future.

Thank you to all of our speakers, moderators, and attendees for contributing to such a thoughtful and timely exchange.

As Russia’s deadly invasion grinds on, Ukraine’s leadership is under tremendous pressure from both within and without. From within, its anti-corruption agencies recently unveiled their massive “Midas” investigation, implicating some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s closest associates in scandal. This put him on the defensive domestically at a critical moment in the war: Gradual Russian advances continue while new American peace proposals demand it make deeply unpopular concessions without the security guarantees Ukrainians believe they need. This event brings together many of the world’s leading researchers on Ukraine’s domestic and international politics for a frank assessment of Ukraine’s situation and prospects for peace in a pair of expert-moderated roundtables, with a keynote address by one of the most experienced US diplomatic experts on Ukraine.

Registration for the event is under the link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3nw82su

Founded in 1996 at the George Washington University, the Petrach Program on Ukraine is a leading center for research, teaching, and public engagement on Ukraine’s politics, society, culture, and international relations.

Based at The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at The George Washington University, the Program serves as a hub for Ukrainian studies in Washington, DC, bringing together faculty from GWU and partner institutions, visiting scholars from around the world, students, policymakers, and the broader public.

Through rigorous scholarship, a vibrant visiting scholars program, and public events on issues critical to Ukraine and global affairs, the Petrach Program advances knowledge, fosters dialogue, and shapes informed understanding of Ukraine in a rapidly changing world.

Follow for research, events, scholars, and conversations at the forefront of Ukrainian studies.