OUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Freedom as Identity Marker in Central and Eastern Europe: Lessons from Ukraine and Beyond

Closing event of the Ukraine Lecture Series 2026

13 July 2026 | 4:00 p.m.

GD 102

Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building, Europaplatz 1, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder)

Hybrid format with previous registration for online participants

To join online, please text us via kiu-communications@europa-uni.de and we will share the Zoom access with you.

Can freedom become a defining element of collective identity? Or is the pursuit of freedom a universal human need?

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown how central freedom can become to a society’s self-understanding and resistance. What lessons can Ukraine and the broader region offer for thinking about freedom as an identity-forming category in Central and Eastern Europe?

These questions will be discussed by Ukrainian writer Andrij Lyubka, Ukrainian historian and sociologist Oksana Mikheieva, and German writer and publicist Marko Martin. Andrij Lyubka will join online. The discussion will be moderated by Susann Worschech, sociologist and academic coordinator of KIU.

Speakers:

Andrij Lyubka is a Ukrainian writer, translator, and essayist. He is a member of Ukrainian PEN and a laureate of the Joseph Conrad Literary Award (2024) and the Jerzy Giedroyc Prize (2026). In January 2026, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Oksana Mikheieva is Professor of Sociology at the Kyiv School of Economics and a guest professor at the European University Viadrina. Her research focuses on war-related migration, forced displacement, everyday life under occupation, and paramilitary motivations.

Marko Martin is a German writer and publicist. He studied German literature, political science, and history and has received numerous awards for his literary and journalistic work. He is also a member of the PEN Club.