Eurozine looks into the political, social and cultural factors that define the war on Ukraine, from Russia’s neo-imperialist aspirations and the concept of culpability to artists at the forefront of Ukrainian resistance.
This focal point is supported by the C.H.Beck Verlag.
In collaboration with
Preparing for the good times to be over
A month into Russia's invasion, is the EU ready for the challenge?
Russia’s war on Ukraine is clearly an attack on the whole of Europe, but domestic responses are still stuck with the narrative of patriarchal solidarity and the concern for consumer comfort on the home front. Philipp Ther argues for active solidarity, and with it, to prepare for the end of the convenience Europe has known: it may hurt, but without it, the long-term losses to freedom and welfare are likely to be higher.
Sitting on the floor, contemplating your own death
War diaries from Kyiv, Parhomivka, and on the road to Moldova
As Ukraine repels tanks, missile attacks, invasion and siege, three journalists from the online platform Gwara Media chronicle their impressions, observations and journeys since the start of the war.
Nobody knows what Russians want. Not even Russians themselves.
Can a kleptocracy have national interests?
Russia has no national interests, not even in Ukraine. Russians are denied subjectivity, the means of making rational and responsible decisions. Instead, they have state-sanctioned propaganda, rigged elections, pretend patriotism and a profoundly inhuman leadership.
The governments now sanctioning Russian oligarchs forget to mention that it was the free-market policies of the ’90s that created them. In order to regain the initiative after misreading Russia’s aggression, the Left needs to point out how the war for democracy in Ukraine is part of its own struggle for global justice in the 21st century.
In moments of intense apprehension and fear, we may well be disinclined to read books, but it is vital to actively maintain channels of mutual support. A statement by the editors of the Russian journal ‘New Literary Observer’.
Europe is facing a vast humanitarian crisis. This time, there is a good chance that governments will rise to the challenge. If only because it is all too clear that uncontrolled mass migration is one prong in Russia’s hybrid war against ‘the West’.
The result of this war is impossible to predict, but one thing is clear: ‘Great Russian Humanist Culture’ has suffered a defeat. Serhiy Zhadan on what the war means for the language of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.
Overcome fear!
An appeal by the Ukrainian journal ‘Prostory’
‘We would prefer to talk about art and literature, but right now we are asking for solidarity. Overcome fear, close the skies above Ukraine, save those who may tomorrow join the ranks of the killed and wounded.’
The border town of Przemyśl is the main point of entry for Ukrainian refugees entering Poland. Most have come from Lviv, the central node for Ukrainians heading west. The photographer Florian Rainer has followed the route in the other direction. His images record both the anxiety and resilience of people forced to abandon their homes from one day to the next.
You speak Russian. It matters
Russian intellectuals appeal to all Russian speakers
Independent sources of information have been almost entirely destroyed in Russia. It is critical to reveal to Russian citizens the full truth about the suffering of the Ukrainian nation. An appeal to Russian speakers worldwide from prominent members of the Russian literary intelligentsia.
Freedom, dignity and security: our belief in the aspirations that animate civil society is why we affirm our support for Ukraine today. A statement by the editors of the Eurozine partner journal ‘Esprit’.
Clinging to his nukes, Putin will only lose power if his own turn on him. It’s hard to predict when, if ever, the leaders he has humiliated and threatened into submission will do the basic calculus and find that obeying the tyrant will inevitably cost way more than defiance.
Putin’s war is being fought in the interests of a political elite, not the Russian nation. But the information bubble is preventing the Russian public from speaking out. That is where those outside Russia come in. An appeal from Russian civil society.
A large part of the western Left, focused on NATO and the USA, failed to see Russian aggression. Of course, the war on terror needs to be brought into the discussion – but critique of liberal internationalism cannot add up to support for the ‘spheres of interest’ doctrine.
A plea from Kyiv
Ukraine stands alone against Russia's attack
Putin’s autocracy has a reason to be afraid of its smaller neighbour: a working democracy always threatens a tyrant. Supporting Ukrainians’ fight for self-determination is not only a moral obligation, but an existential question for the democratic world.
Related Focal Points
25 articles
52 articles
75 articles
114 articles