Festival adds focus on Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is the focus of a series of events as part of the Cambridge Festival.

Escalation of the war in Ukraine has resulted into tragic loss of human lives but also brought economic suffering to millions of Ukrainians – as well as having a global impact. In Economic aspects of the war in Ukraine (Monday 4 April, 5pm-6.30pm, live stream) a panel of experts discuss the Ukrainian economy. k closer into the financial sector.

Speakers include: Dr Tymofiy Mylovanov, a Ukrainian economist and former Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine; Dr Andrei Kirilenko, a Professor of Finance and Director of the Doctoral Programme at the Cambridge Judge Business School; and Dr Alexander Rodnyansky, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and previous Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Democracy is the focus of the second event, Ukraine vs Russia: War for Democracy (Thursday, 7 April, 5pm-6.30pm, live stream). This talk is led by Oleksiy Honcharuk, a lawyer and politician, who served as Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and as the youngest Prime Minister of Ukraine from August 2019 until March 2020. Mr Honcharuk will speak about the ideological aspect of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the role of democracy in it.

The third event in the series, Sacred Freedom on Your Side: Literature and Ukraine’s National Identity (Friday, 8 April, 6pm-7.15pm, in person) centres on Ukrainian literature. The talk is led by Dr Rory Finnin, Associate Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge. His primary research interest is the interplay of literature and national identity in Ukraine. His new book, Blood of Others: Stalin’s Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity, is being released this spring by University of Toronto Press.

In the final event for this special Cambridge Festival series, Dr Olesya Khromeychuk discusses Ukraine’s future during her talk, Ukraine: in defence of the future (Saturday 9 April, 3pm-4.30pm, in person). Dr Olesya Khromeychuk, who is the Director of the Ukrainian Institute London, is a historian of 20^th century East-Central Europe, specialising in Ukrainian history. Dr Khromeychuk has previously taught at King’s College London, the University of East Anglia, University College London and the University of Cambridge. She is the author of A Loss. The Story of a Dead Soldier Told by His Sister.

The series of talks, which aim to increase awareness about Ukraine and raise funds for the WithUkraine charity to help those affected by the Russian invasion, are part of a programme of over 350 online and in person events at the Cambridge Festival.

The Festival is the University of Cambridge’s leading public engagement event, covering a wide range of issues, including geopolitical developments such as the rise of Eurasia and a discussion about political innovation in times of crisis. It is the largest event of its kind in the country. Most events are free.