Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 raised many questions and increased the public’s desire to understand the background, history and consequences of the still-continuing conflict. The OSU Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies made it one of our priorities this spring to provide context and answers to some questions regarding the on-going war by hosting seven weekly virtual public webinars (“Ukraine Wednesdays”) presented by experts from a variety of fields and institutions. Topics covered included the history and politics behind the conflict, human rights issues; the impact of the invasion on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and on neighboring countries, global agricultural trade; and linguistic and literary consequences of the invasion. Participants in the series of talks included Ohio State professors from the Knowlton School of Architecture, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, the College of Public Health and the Department of History. Faculty from the University of Dayton, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the University of Warsaw, Poland, contributed additional expertise. The response to the webinars was very positive with nearly 200 members of the public, as well as more than 50 educators and over 30 students viewing the series.

While most of the webinars were not recorded due to this invasion being a constantly evolving situation, a recording on David Hoffman’s lecture “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Insights from the Recent Past, 1991—present” was made available though Origins. The recording can be accessed through Origin’s YouTube Channel.