The International Online Forum «Public Movement of Ukrainians in Russia: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow» dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence was held on June 26, 2021 with the support of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic National University. The organizer is the Union of Ukrainian Women in Russia.
Iryna Kliuchkovska, Oksana Piatkovska and Andrii Yatsiv from IECDR took part in the event.
The forum aimed to discuss the activities of Ukrainian NGOs in Russia during the 30 years of Ukraine’s independence; to reflect on the problem of consolidation of Ukrainian communities and the formation of an active life position on the preservation of national and cultural heritage, dissemination of knowledge about Ukrainian history and culture.
Iryna Kliuchkovska, Director of IECDR, made a report, noting that since 2005 the priority in the work of the Institute has been Ukrainians of the Eastern Diaspora, in particular Ukrainians of Russia. Since then, systematic cooperation has begun, which has taken place in several areas: presentation, education, science and publishing. Even a cursory retrospective review showed participants the extent of IECDR’s interaction with Ukrainian communities in Russia.
However, Iryna Kliuchkovska stated that due to the war unleashed by the Russian Federation in eastern Ukraine and the occupation of part of our territory, the activities of Ukrainian communities practically stopped, some of them experienced, if not stagnation, then complete cessation of activities, and Ukrainians in the aggressor country got in a difficult, if not hopeless, situation.
Thus, IECDR aims to help communities and individuals preserve their Ukrainian identity, realizing that it will be practically impossible to revive the lost in the future. IECDR offers to work today to preserve Ukrainianness in Russia, where the world’s largest Ukrainian diaspora lives. It calls for the gradual creation and development of the Ukrainian environment, filling it with cultural content without exposing Ukrainians in Russia to danger and persecution. In this work, said the Director of IECDR, it is important, given the circumstances, to adhere to the principle of «Do no harm!». After all, as Taras Malyshevskyi, Consul General of Ukraine in Russia, said, today the main task of Ukrainians in Russia is to survive.