Sometimes life takes us down winding paths that eventually lead to unexpected events and life-changing encounters. We can’t change everything in this life, but there is much we can influence and set in motion - if we have the will and determination to do so.
In the fall of 2021 Eurodoc was planning a workshop in Lviv, it was to be held in November that year. It was at the end of the COVID 19 pandemic and it was decided to postpone the workshop for the spring 2022 late March or April.
Then the 22nd of February 2022 came and from that day the world changed .
For millions of Ukrainians, time split into "before" and "after," Those who remained had to rebuild their lives amid the horrors of war - adapting, inventing new approaches to work, and reorganizing their routines according to air raid alerts and power outages.
In the future we will have to deal with the aftermath and it will take decades to rebuild destroyed cities and restore cultural heritage. Much - on top of the most valuable thing, human lives - will be lost forever.
For more than 3 years across Ukraine young scientists have worked under conditions that before were hard if not impossible to imagine and they continue to carry out research and teach.
Higher education and research are cornerstones in liberal democracies which are too easily forgotten. A high quality education – from kindergarten to the doctoral degree – enables citizens to understand and shape the society they live in, which is absolutely crucial in democracies. The war in Ukraine and the disinformation campaigns launched by Russia has clearly demonstrated that quality education is now more important than ever.
Since January Eurodoc has been publishing a series of interviews with early career researchers from Ukraine. These researchers are living and working in Ukraine and have shared their stories about how the war has impacted their lives and careers. All stories about the consequences of the war are heartbreaking, however these are also stories about resilience and aspirations for the future. These are stories that show the importance of science and how early career researchers are an integral part of the societies they live in.
These are stories of determination and perseverance, of motivation and a burning desire to change this world for the better under the horrific conditions of war – despite everything and no matter what.
These are stories of hope that drive science forward – for the sake of science itself, for the sake of humanity, and for a peaceful and democratic future
These are stories that make us reflect on the values we hold in life and on the choices – conscious or unconscious – that each of us makes every day.
These are stories that prove everything is in our hands, and each of us can find the strength within to live, to create, to love, and to contribute something meaningful to this world.
These are stories about life that always overcomes death, about light that always conquers darkness.
Despite everything.
We will never know what would have happened if Russia hadn't attacked Ukraine, if, if, if... We have to live with the reality we have now.
We can act – each of us, in our own way, to the best of our ability and ensure that the vocies of Ukrainian scientists are amplified.
We have collected these interviews into a final report which you can find here, it is available both in Ukrainian and English.
Please read the stories and please share the report with colleagues and friends both within academia and outside of academia – they are worth reading and reflecting upon.
Anne Pavelieva and Pil Maria Saugmann