Public Discussion on the Challenges and Prospects of Ukraine at the University of Basel — Participation of KSU Representatives
Representatives of the Faculty of Education of Kherson State University took part in a public panel discussion at the University of Basel, dedicated to the challenges and prospects of Ukraine in the global context. The event was held within the framework of Ukraine Week in Basel, organized on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Anastasiia Volianiuk, lecturer at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Preschool and Primary Education, and Olha Volianiuk, a bachelor’s student in Preschool Education, took part in the public panel discussion “Ukraine 2026: The Country and the World at a Turning Point”, held on August 22, 2025, at the University of Basel (Switzerland).
The event focused on key questions of our time: how to ensure Ukraine’s state sovereignty in the long term, what conditions are necessary for sustainable peace, and how society can cope with constant threats and violence while preserving hope for renewal.
Today, Ukraine emerges not only as a victim of war but also as an important geopolitical actor whose decisions and resilience influence the future of the whole of Europe.
The discussion brought together academics and the wider public to reflect on the strategic challenges facing Ukraine. Among the central issues were the long-term safeguarding of state sovereignty, the conditions for a sustainable peace, ways of overcoming the consequences of ongoing threats and violence, and Ukraine’s role in the current geopolitical confrontation.
Contributions were delivered by Prof. Andrii Portnov (historian, Director of PRISMA UKRAЇNA Research Network Eastern Europe, Berlin), Dr. Bohdan Kolesnyk (political scientist, University of St. Gallen), and Prof. Ulrich Schmid (expert in nationalism, popular culture, and media, University of St. Gallen).
The event was organized in cooperation between URIS (Ukrainian Research in Switzerland), the University of Basel, the University of St. Gallen (HSG), and the Ukrainian Society in Switzerland (Basel branch). The working language of the discussion was German.
ℹ️ More details: Ukraine 2026: das Land und die Welt im Umbruch