War in Ukraine
War in Ukraine
From Victims to Workers: The Politics of Deservingness in Europe’s Support for Displaced Ukrainians
Europe’s ‘extraordinary solidarity’ with displaced Ukrainians in 2022 – rooted in images of vulnerability and cultural proximity – is increasingly being replaced by a politics of conditionality. Across Czechia, Germany, and Poland, benefits are shrinking, and public debates frame refugees less as victims of war than as workers expected to prove their worth through employment. This shift reveals how European governments, spurred on by far-right politicians who question displaced people’s right to stay, are reshaping solidarity around labour market deservingness, with troubling implications for the future of refugee protection in Europe.
10.09.2025
War in Ukraine
War, Oligarchs, and the Future of Ukraine’s Political Economy – Inna Melnykovska on Civic Transformation, Reconstruction and EU Influence in Wartime Ukraine
How is war transforming Ukraine’s economy—and its oligarchs? In this Review of Democracy podcast, political economist Inna Melnykovska (Central European University) discusses how the full-scale Russian invasion has led to surprising shifts in business-state relations, including a turn toward civic responsibility among Ukraine’s biggest companies.
20.08.2025
War in Ukraine
Maus to Mavic: From WWII’s Super-Tanks to Modern Drones — The Changing Face of Warfare
Throughout history, victory in war has rarely gone to the largest or most powerful. Instead, success favors those who adapt to terrain, technology, and changing conditions. I claim that this situation created a timeless dynamic, which could be called the struggle between dinosaurs and insects. The dinosaurs, often powerful but inflexible, fall before smaller, nimbler insects whose strength lies in adaptability.
8.08.2025
War in Ukraine
David vs. Goliath: Defeating Russian Autocracy
In the new episode of our monthly special in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Serhii Plokhii discusses the key aspects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the clash between democracy and autocracy.
2.06.2025
War in Ukraine
A Clash of Revisionisms
The remembrance of the Second World War has shifted significantly in recent decades – and even more dramatic reinterpretations appear to be underway in our current moment of drastic uncertainty.
7.05.2025
War in Ukraine
Public Attitudes and Dynamics of Opposition in Russia Since 2022
In this episode of the Democracy After 2024 series, Denys Tereshchenko hosts Margarita Zavadskaya to discuss the asymmetries of power between the state and civil society in Russia, public attitudes toward the full-scale invasion of Ukraine among Russians inside and outside Russia, and the reasons behind the failure of anti-war protests.
20.02.2025
War in Ukraine
Ukraine Under Martial Law – Transformations of Domestic Policies and Civil Society
In this episode, a part of the Democracy After 2024 series, Oleksandra Kokhan is joined by Taras Fedirko and Serhiy Kudelia to discuss the transformations of domestic policies in Ukraine following the 2022 invasion and under martial law, the (im)possibility of holding elections, and the role of civil society today.
5.02.2025
War in Ukraine
Shouldn’t Ukraine Negotiate with Putin? – Robert Person on Obstacles to a Negotiated Ending of Russia’s Ongoing War of Aggression
In the newest episode of our monthly special in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Robert Person discusses key issues that pose nearly insurmountable obstacles to a negotiated ending of Russia’s war against Ukraine; dissects the Putin regime’s main aims regarding Ukraine over the past twenty years; and reflects on why arguments in favor of a ‘peace deal’ have gained in popularity – and what European supporters of Ukraine should be preparing for.
3.02.2025
War in Ukraine
The Significance and Trajectory of Ukrainian Democracy Since 2022
In this episode of the Democracy After 2024 series, Ukrainian journalist and editor Arina Kravchenko hosts Ukrainian poet, prose writer, and essayist Mykola Riabchuk. They discuss the significance of democracy to Ukrainian national identity and the country’s social fabric. The conversation focuses especially on Ukrainian democracy’s trajectory since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 as viewed from within Ukrainian society and as a rediscovered object of interest from the outside. Mykola Riabchuk is the president of the Ukrainian PEN-center and a senior research fellow at the Institute of Political and Nationalities’ Studies, the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. His most recent publications include At the Fence of Metternich’s Garden. Essays on Europe, Ukraine, and Europeanization (Stuttgart, 2021) and Nationalist’s Lexicon (in Ukrainian), a collection of essays published in 2022. Arina Kravchenko is a Ukrainian journalist, editor, and book reviewer. Artwork: [...]
31.01.2025
War in Ukraine
Diana Dumitru on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Question of Genocide
In this conversation at the Review of Democracy, Diana Dumitru – co-editor, with Dirk Moses, of the new collection The Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Victims, Perpetrators, Justice, and the Question of Genocide – discusses the motives of various Russian perpetrators in Ukraine and how those motives might have evolved over time; shows how useful the concept of genocide proves when studying the multifaceted violence unleashed during Russia’s war of aggression; reflects on whether the current debates around genocide in Ukraine might reshape or expanding our understanding of genocide and mass violence; and addresses the challenges in pursuing accountability for Russian crimes.
14.10.2024
War in Ukraine
The Special Tribunal for Russian Crimes of Aggression in Ukraine: In Conversation with Kateryna Busol
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for 10 years. It started with the occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donbas in 2014 and culminated in the full-scale invasion in 2022. Various domestic and international justice initiatives to ensure accountability for war crimes and other conflict related violations have been unfolding since 2014. However, 2022 marked the start of a new important debate. How can Russia be held accountable for the underlying crime of aggression? In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast Oliver Garner discusses the proposal for a special tribunal to address Russia's crime of aggression in Ukraine with Kateryna Busol.
11.10.2024
War in Ukraine
The Regime Change Has To Be Performed by Russians Themselves – Roland Freudenstein on Russia, the War in Ukraine, and Autocrats in Europe
In our new podcast, Roland Freudenstein, Director of the Free Russia Foundation Brussels, and Founder and Executive Officer of the Brussels Freedom Hub discusses Russia’s geopolitical ambitions, how the war in Ukraine may end, and the potentials for a regime change in Moscow; reflects on democratic backsliding in EU Member States; and shares his thoughts about autocrats and how societies can be more resilient against authoritarianism.
9.10.2024
War in Ukraine
Ukraine Will Not Slide into Authoritarianism – A Conversation with Pat Cox
In this conversation, Pat Cox reflects on the new term of the European Parliament and the importance of the rise of the Right in the Union and its member states. He also discusses his work in Ukraine after 2012 – when he led a mission to free political prisoners imprisoned by President Viktor Yanukovych – as well as in more recent years when he has co-directed the Jean Monnet Dialogues which aim to build consensus between the main political parties represented in the Ukrainian Parliament.
29.07.2024
War in Ukraine
What can Ukraine learn from Turkey’s failed EU candidacy?
The European Union (EU) has reinvigorated its most successful foreign policy tool after Russia started its war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Enlargement policy had successfully persuaded candidate countries to reform their domestic institutions and policies within a specific timeline under the credible promise of membership but it had lost steam in recent years. The EU was occupied by both internal and external challenges in the region and its commitment to enlargement gradually declined. Candidate countries, on the other hand, were not enthusiastic for more reforms in the last decade. Among these, Turkey stands out as the least successful and may even be seen as a failure. Will Ukraine be able to join the EU before 2030, or will it share the fate of Turkey? What lessons can be drawn from Turkey’s experience with the EU? I will try to disentangle these questions in this short op-ed. I argue that, in order to avoid Turkey’s fate, Ukraine should benefit from the [...]
25.03.2024
War in Ukraine
Ukraine – An Exceptional or a Paradigmatic Case? Volodymyr Ishchenko on Deficient Revolutions and Authoritarian Tendencies
In this conversation with Lorena Drakula and Ferenc Laczó, Volodymyr Ishchenko – author of the new collection, Towards the Abyss: Ukraine from Maidan to War – explains how the study of contemporary Ukraine could contribute to our understanding of globally relevant processes. He reflects on the main political cleavage in the country and how the relationship between the various camps has evolved; and shows what led to the “deficient revolutions” in early 21st-century Ukraine and what have been their main outcomes. Finally, he discusses what he sees as the driving force behind the authoritarian tendencies in the country. Volodymyr Ishchenko is a research associate at the Institute of East European Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. Towards the Abyss: Ukraine from Maidan to War is published by Verso.
17.01.2024
War in Ukraine
How Ukraine Has Won Its War of Independence Without Restoring Its Territorial Integrity – Yaroslav Trofimov on Russia’s Invasion and Ukraine’s Survival
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Yaroslav Trofimov – author of the new book Our Enemies Will Vanish. The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence – shows how Ukraine has turned out to be much stronger than hoped whereas Russia has proven significantly weaker than feared; discusses the major crimes Russia has committed in Ukraine and the destruction its war of aggression has wrought; reflects on the experience of reporting on a major conflict in his country of origin; describes the evolving relationship between the Ukrainian leadership and its Western supporters; and shares his assessment of the prospects for Ukraine.
8.01.2024
War in Ukraine
For Money Laundering To Occur, All That Authorities Have To Do Is Nothing
In this conversation with RevDem editor Robert Nemeth, Dean Starkman and Neil Weinberg (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) talk about Cyprus Confidential, the investigation exposing how Cyprus-based financial services firms have enabled the Russian elite — including Vladimir Putin’s inner circle — to shelter their wealth and shield billions of dollars in assets from the threat of impending sanctions. They explain how this system worked and what enabled it, but also share insights into how journalists work on cross-border collaborative projects on such scale.
15.12.2023
War in Ukraine
Ukrainians Started as the Scots and Ended Up as the Irish – Yaroslav Hrytsak on the Global History of Ukraine
In this conversation with Visible Ukraine editor Marta Haiduchok and RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Yaroslav Hrytsak – author of the new book Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation – explains what makes Ukraine a geopolitically crucial borderland and why the Ukrainian question has become acute at the most critical turns in global history.
24.11.2023
War in Ukraine
From Your Ex-Yugo: The Doomsday Clock is Still Ticking
RevDem recently published two articles, by Veronica Anghel and Volodymyr Yermolenko on the consequences of the war in Ukraine for Europe, as part of a series of Eurozine, a network of magazines to which Revdem belongs. Today we are publishing another article from this series - by Vladimir Petrovic
18.10.2023
War in Ukraine
Can the invasion of Ukraine be a breaking point for the appeasement of autocrats in Europe?
Benedetta Lobina (PhD candidate, University College Dublin) considers the Rule of Law impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian war
13.10.2023
War in Ukraine
Europe’s Two Hearts
The war in Ukraine has shown up the limits of European pacifism and revived a long-forgotten precept: republican opposition to empire. Today’s imperial threat no longer comes disguised as democracy but is openly anti-democratic. Part of the series ‘Lessons of war: The rebirth of Europe revisited’. RevDem publishes today two articles on the consequences of the war in Ukraine for Europe, which are part of a series of Eurozine, a network of magazines to which Revdem belongs. In the coming days we will publish our responses to this debate.
20.09.2023
War in Ukraine
The Power of Smaller Countries
Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s imperialist war has discredited the spheres of influence theory once and for all. The EU is being forced to reappraise not just its security policy, but also its colonial mindset towards smaller countries beyond its borders. Part of the series ‘Lessons of war: The rebirth of Europe revisited’. RevDem publishes today two articles on the consequences of the war in Ukraine for Europe, which are part of a series of Eurozine, a network of magazines to which Revdem belongs. In the coming days we will publish our responses to this debate.
20.09.2023
War in Ukraine
A Savage War of Russian Decline: Serhii Plokhy Discusses the Russo-Ukrainian War
In this conversation co-hosted by Marta Haiduchok (Visible Ukraine) and Ferenc Laczó (the Review of Democracy), Serhii Plokhy – author of the new book "The Russo-Ukrainian War" – discusses why Ukraine was so crucial to the Soviet collapse and how Ukraine and Russia diverged subsequently; explains what made Ukraine a focal point of competition in the post-Cold War decades and which factors enabled the current devastating war; dissects the origins of Russian imperialism and Russia’s current war aims; reflects on the state of Ukrainian Studies and suggests new questions concerning Ukrainian nationalism and Russian imperialism; elaborates on the stages of the unfolding war and the reasons behind Ukraine’s ability to fight back; and ponders what major geopolitical shifts the Russo-Ukrainian war might signal or reinforce.
30.06.2023
War in Ukraine
The War in Ukraine and Transition: In Conversation with Maria Popova
Despite, or perhaps due to, the war in Ukraine there have been positive developments in combating corruption and other issues in anticipation of EU membership. In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast Teodora Miljojkovic discusses these issues around transition with Professor Maria Popova.
20.06.2023
War in Ukraine
Accession Through War? Ukraine and the EU: In Conversation with Roman Petrov
In this podcast, Oliver Garner speaks to Professor Roman Petrov on this subject of “accession through war”. Professor Petrov is the Jean Monney Chair in EU Law and Head of the Centre of Excellence in EU Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He is currently a British Academy Research Fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
23.05.2023
War in Ukraine
Informal Power in Hungary and Poland: In Conversation with Edit Zgut-Przybylska
Formal Rule of Law backsliding in Hungary and Poland has been well-publicized. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg of a system of informal power connections that are undermining the Rule of Law and democracy. In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast Oliver Garner discusses this informal power with Edit Zgut-Przybylska.
12.05.2023
War in Ukraine
Helsinki in Budapest: In Conversation with András Kádár and Márta Pardavi
In the latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast Oliver Garner discusses the work of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. András Kádár is an attorney at law and co-chair of the Committee. Amongst other engagements and positions he is the Hungarian member of the European Network of Legal Experts in the Non-Discrimination field. Márta Pardavi is the other co-chair of the Committee and she also co-leads the Recharging Advocacy for Rights in Europe (RARE) program. Previously, she has been a policy leader fellow at the EUI School of Transnational Governance in Florence.
3.05.2023
War in Ukraine
Navigating Hierarchies and Balkanist Discourses in Europeanization: A Conversation with Vjosa Musliu
In this conversation with assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Vjosa Musliu discusses her book "Europeanization and State Building as Everyday Practices. Performing Europe in the Western Balkans" (Routledge, 2021). The conversation critically examines mechanisms of Europeanization, discourses surrounding international interventions, and the processes of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.
28.04.2023
War in Ukraine
“A Pandemic of Populists”: RevDem online book discussion
On 28 March the Review of Democracy hosted an online debate on "A Pandemic of Populists" (CUP, 2022) by Wojciech Sadurski (University of Sydney). Hosted by CEU Democracy Institute Workgroup Lead Researcher Dimitry Kochenov, the debate brought together perspectives from Barbara Grabowska-Moroz (CEU), Zuzana Vikarská (Masaryk University), and Thiago Amparo (FGV Sao Paulo Law School).
14.04.2023
War in Ukraine
Heritage in War: A Key to Define the Future of Ukraine
Dóra Mérai, a lecturer of Cultural Heritage Studies at CEU, explores how heritage - often used to promote divisions - has also been reframed in Ukraine following Russia's invasion "to develop empathy, express solidarity, and help people cope with the difficulties".
28.03.2023
War in Ukraine
In Conversation with Danuta Hübner — Ukraine’s Road to EU Accession
In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Danuta Hübner explains the specificities of the EU accession path for Ukraine, elaborates on the difficulties other countries had to overcome (most notably Poland), showcases the problems with Turkey’s and Western Balkans’ EU accession, discusses the criteria of joining the EU, and shares her visions of the future EU.
6.03.2023
War in Ukraine
In conversation with Jakub Jaraczewski: The European Commission’s latest action against Poland and Hungary
In this latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast, Oliver Garner speaks to Jakub Jaraczewski about the European Commission’s latest actions to defend the EU’s values against backsliding Member States. Jakub is a Research Coordinator at Democracy Reporting International, a Berlin based NGO, and one of the coordinators of the “re:constitution” programme.
3.03.2023
War in Ukraine
Adam Michnik: The war in Ukraine is not a war between the Russian people and the Ukrainian people
This war, of which we are commemorating the anniversary today, is undoubtedly the most important war of our time, because it is a war in which the imperial-chauvinist-totalitarian project is struggling with the democratic, European, pluralist project on the one hand.
28.02.2023
War in Ukraine
Constitutional Democracy’s Civic and Social Dimensions. On the Czech Presidential Election
Jiří Přibáň comments the outcome of the recent presidential elections in the Czech Republic.
1.02.2023
War in Ukraine
In Conversation with Bruce Robbins — Criticism and Politics
In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Bruce Robbins discusses his newest book Criticism and Politics. A Polemical Introduction.
17.01.2023
War in Ukraine
New Year Special
In a special edition of the RevDem podcast, our editors Laszlo Bruszt, Oliver Garner, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Ferenc Laczo, Michał Matlak, and Renata Uitz discuss their favorite RevDem content, best books and articles they have read, most important political events of 2022 and more. At the end of the episode, they are joined by the authors of the most popular piece of 2022 published by RevDem: an op-ed by Elżbieta Krzyżanowska and Pavel Skigin “The discourse of privilege: Western Europe and the Russian War against Ukraine.”
11.01.2023
War in Ukraine
In conversation with Francis Fukuyama: “Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if it had been a democracy”
In this interview with Francis Fukuyama, hosted by Laetitia Strauch-Bonart (Editor of the Ideas section in the French weekly L’Express) and Michał Matlak (RevDem Managing Editor), they discuss his latest book, the status of liberal and illiberal democracies in the world today, how this relates to Russia, China, and the US, the threats to American democracy today, and more.
19.09.2022
War in Ukraine
War in Ukraine: 10 essential readings and interviews
On the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day, we present key texts and interviews on the Russian invasion and its aftermath
24.08.2022
War in Ukraine
Imperialism in Russian Literature
In this conversation with our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, professor Ewa Thompson discusses the imperialistic features of the Russian Federations; elaborates on how Russian writers advanced the imperial message of Russia, and shows the persistence of the imperialistic motifs in the Russian literature.
7.06.2022
War in Ukraine
Change of framing and the need for peace in Ukraine: A reply to Szulecki and Wig
Responding to critiques of their op-ed on why the war in Ukraine should not be discussed using the "democracy vs. autocracy" framework, authors Irina Domurath and Stefano Palestini further develop why orienting the discussion around Russia's abuse of international law could draw more international support and avoid escalation into a Third World War.
25.05.2022
War in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Integration and Reconstruction: How To Prepare the EU?
The EU membership of Ukraine will be one of the key issues of the post-war settlement. What are the challenges of the reconstruction and the European integration of Ukraine? What does it require from the EU? What lessons could be taken from the strengths and weaknesses of the Eastern Enlargement of the EU, or from the previous attempts at integration in the Western Balkans and in the pre-war EU policies of integrating Ukraine? Speakers: Laszlo Bruszt, Co-Director, CEU Democracy Institute; Professor, CEU Department of Political Science Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament; former Prime Minister of Lithuania Tymofiy Mylovanov, President, Kyiv School of Economics Milada Vachudova, Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Moderator: Iskra Kirova, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society European Policy Institute
24.05.2022
War in Ukraine
Reflections of a European Man
In conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Stefan Auer discusses his new book European Disunion. Democracy, Sovereignty, and the Politics of Emergency (Hurst&Company 2022). In a conversation, he points out to the EU hubris, discusses crises that hit the EU recently, puts into a broader context Russian invasion of Ukraine, and shares his scepticism on the future of Europe.
20.05.2022
War in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is all about democracy vs dictatorship
A dictatorship has just brutally attacked its democratic neighbor. It’s not the first time in history that happens, but there are good reasons to see the war in Ukraine as the first one defining the conflict lines of this century.
9.04.2022
War in Ukraine
The Discourse of Privilege: Western Europe and the Russian War against Ukraine
In this op-ed by Elżbieta Kwiecińska and Pavel Skigin, they detail why "being a radical pacifist is a great privilege that only Westerners can afford nowadays."
7.04.2022
War in Ukraine
Ukraine: not a war about democracy
In this op-ed by Irina Domurath and Stefano Palestini, they discuss the war in Ukraine and why the West should leave behind the narrative that this is a "war of values."
25.03.2022
War in Ukraine
The War in Ukraine and the Refugee Crisis
Dr. Marta Jaroszewicz elaborates on the current refugee crisis as the result of the war in Ukraine, the situation in the neighbouring countries, and the EU refugee protection.
24.03.2022
War in Ukraine
5 Books on Ukraine
nce the Russian invasion started on 24th February, two thousands of civilians have already died because of Russian missiles shot indiscriminately at Ukrainian cities and towns. However, the armed conflict begun much earlier, when Russia annexed Crimea and started its occupation of the Eastern part of Ukraine in 2014. Our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska has selected 5 books to encourage a better understanding of the Ukrainian state and Ukrainian modern history and culture. This list is by no means comprehensive and serves as an invitation to explore Ukraine’s recent history further
4.03.2022
