Ukrainian Week 2024

Celebrating Ukrainian culture and heritage 

The aim of Ukrainian Week is to support and celebrate the people of Ukraine in Ukraine, Edinburgh, and elsewhere in the world, and to emphasise the need for acceptance, tolerance and understanding. This is a week of discovery, celebration, and connection as we come together to explore the richness of Ukrainian culture and heritage at the University. 

Led by PhD Visiting Researcher and CARA Fellow, Oksana Lebedivna, along with a dedicated committee of students and staff, Ukrainian Week aims to engage the University community in the richness of Ukrainian Studies. Oksana explains her motivation to organise Ukrainian Week at the University:

I was motivated to organise this event when the Russian Federation blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in Ukraine on 6 June 2023 not giving the Armed Forces of Ukraine and rescue workers opportunity to protect citizens in the occupied territories plagued by shelling. I hope Ukrainian Week can be the beginning of the broader engagement of students and staff into Ukrainian Studies as an important part of the University's life.

Oksana Lebedivna

Ukrainian Week programme of events 

The programme, supported by experts like Professor Patrick Honeybone, offers talks and events delving into various aspects of Ukrainian life, both past and present:  

Ukrainian Week is a wonderful set of talks and events that will offer people the chance to find out about Ukraine and its people in both their current and historical context, acknowledging the horrors of war, but not defined by it.

Professor Patrick Honeybone

During the week, linguistic discussions will explore themes such as the positioning of the Ukrainian language between Western and Eastern influences, led by Dr Jan Fellerer (University of Oxford) as well as an examination of the linguistic dynamics within Russian-ruled Ukraine from the mid-seventeenth century to 1914, led by Prof Danylenko (Pace University, New York). 

Delving further into history, topics will encompass the intriguing realm of Ukrainian Witchcraft trials alongside reflections on the post-World War II abolition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church by Russians in the 1940's.

Attendees can also anticipate thought-provoking documentary screenings, including the Oscar-winning “20 Days in Mariupol” and “Myth”, followed by a film discussion led by British filmmaker, Dr. Ling Lee (University of Edinburgh) and Ukrainian Doctor of Sciences in Social Communications, Dr Maksym Balaklytskyi (University of Sheffield).

Additionally, there will be enriching sessions dedicated to Global Ukrainian Literature, featuring poetry readings, and an enthralling talk titled “From Wildlife to Weirdlife: Exploring the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.”

Abstracts providing further information on all the talks and screenings mentioned above as well as the full programme of events can be viewed on the Ukrainian Week website:

Ukrainian Week programme of events

How to get involved

Students, faculty, staff, and members of the wider community are encouraged to participate in Ukrainian Week by attending events, volunteering, contributing ideas, or organising their own activities related to Ukrainian culture. 

All talks are free admission with no registration, film screenings require a free ticket booking. 

For more information on Ukrainian Week, visit the Ukrainian Week website: 

Ukrainian Week at the University of Edinburgh 

Ukrainian Women's Leadership Programme

Ukrainian women living in Scotland are being invited to apply to join a new scheme that aims to build leadership skills and boost the recovery of the war-torn country.

The Ukrainian Women’s Leadership Programme, which takes place in Edinburgh in June 2024, will offer 15 fully-funded places to equip women in conflict resolution, communications and management.

Learn more about the programme:

Ukrainian Women's Leadership Programme