Sustaining Identity through Education: Ukrainian Resistance to Russification

Ukrainian rescuers remove rubble of the 18th school of Chernigiv after bombing on 3 March 2022 during Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ministry of Internal Affairs on Ukraine. CC BY 4.0.

Charlie Sagner

In the twenty months since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, over 9,000 civilians have been killed, and nearly 18,000 have been wounded. In addition to the war’s human casualties, over 1,300 schools have been completely destroyed. This has left Ukrainian students of all ages without proper education for months on end. According to a UNICEF report, only around a third of Ukrainian students are currently enrolled in school full-time, and more than half of Ukrainian refugees living abroad are not enrolled in full-time education in their host countries.3 Constant missile strikes continue to prevent millions of children from attending school and create an educational disaster across the nation. Ukrainian students now must apply to universities as their country endures an invasion. With college applications as stressful as is, Ukrainian students now face a unique challenge: How do they navigate this difficult process under siege?

The war in Ukraine has subjected the Ukrainian people to a trauma that is, unfortunately, all too familiar. From the Baturyn massacre of 1708 to the enforced famines of the Holodomor during the early 1930s, Ukraine is tragically experienced when it comes to attacks on its institutions, its identity, and its existence. For this reason, some Ukrainians view the current Russian invasion not as a one-off attack, but instead as a continuation of Russia’s efforts throughout history to erase or Russify the nation. Without question, Putin and his enablers are to blame for this onslaught, but it is essential to consider their actions within the broader context of Russo-Ukrainian relations and Russia’s historically aggressive posture toward Ukraine.

Throughout the 69-year Soviet period, the Russian-dominant regime continuously strove to Russify Ukraine, be it through the Holodomor or subtler (but equally insidious) attacks on the Ukrainian national language.6Russia’s determination to erase Ukrainian identity, however, did not begin in 1922, nor did it stop in 1991: After Catherine II annexed the Crimean Khanate––a territory that spanned the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk oblasts––in 1783, and then the rest of Ukraine in 1793, Ukraine spent 124 years under Imperial Russian rule7 Russia has tried to colonize, pacify, and Russify Ukraine for centuries. Its most recent invasion is just the most recent gambit in a long line of attempts to erase Ukraine’s national identity.

However, this history of oppression does not mean there is no hope for Ukraine. On the contrary, it is now more important than ever that Ukrainian students of all ages have the opportunity to continue their education and develop their national identity Russia has tried so hard to erase. Thankfully, universities around the world have already taken great strides toward helping Ukrainians affected by the war. The University of Chicago, Texas A&M, Hampton University, and many others have pledged to provide Ukrainian students free tuition and housing for the time being.8 However, there are limitations to this assistance. Promises of free tuition or housing are contingent on acceptance to these universities––a massive barrier for many high schoolers.

This is where college students around the world come in. By offering advice and encouragement throughout the application process, students in the United States and elsewhere can help Ukrainian students affected by the war by offsetting the educational drought that Russia has created. In March of 2022, Tetiana Kotelnykova, a Ukraine native and graduate student at Columbia University, founded MentorUkraine to help other Ukrainians continue their education and navigate the disorder brought on by the war.9 MentorUkraine pairs Ukrainians with students from around the world who answer questions about all aspects of the college application process, read and edit essays, and provide support. Since its inception in 2022, MentorUkraine has expanded into Brave Generation, a non-profit providing tutoring services through the original MentorUkraine program as well as academic vouchers via TeachUkraine.10 Brave Generation has thus far helped 39 Ukrainian students receive full scholarships to universities around the world and created a network of nearly 300 Ukrainian students as well.11 Though Brave Generation is entirely student-run, it has already made a tremendous impact on many students’ lives, providing a unique opportunity for college students everywhere to use their skills to help others in a time of need.

The truth is, there is no easy way forward for Ukraine. Russia’s war has scarred the  country. It will take years to recover, both as individuals and as a nation. However, students and universities have the power to make an enormous difference, and a moral obligation to help. Access to higher education means more than just a degree for Ukrainians: by providing them with a means of developing themselves and their identity, college and graduate programs compromise Russia’s ongoing efforts to silence and destroy Ukrainian culture.

Bibliography

Alonso, Johanna. “U.S. Institutions Offer Scholarships to Ukrainian Refugees.” Inside Higher Ed, December 4, 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/12/05/us-institutions-offer-scholarships-ukrai nian-refugees.

“The Autonomous Hetman State and Sloboda Ukraine.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/The-autonomous-hetman-state-and-Sloboda- Ukraine.

“Baturyn Massacre.” Дніпропетровська обласна універсальна наукова бібліотека ім. Первоучителів слов’янських Кирила і Мефодія. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.libr.dp.ua/?do=ukrainica&lng=2&id=10&idg=120.

“Holodomor History.” National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, July 18, 2023. https://holodomormuseum.org.ua/en/the-history-of-the-holodomor/.

Mankoff, Jeffrey. “Russia’s War in Ukraine: Identity, History, and Conflict.” CSIS, April 22, 2022. https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-war-ukraine-identity-history-and-conflict.

“More than 1,000 Schools Destroyed in Ukraine since War Began-UNICEF.” Reuters, August 29, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-children-fall-behind-with-no-let-up-attack s-schools-unicef-2023-08-29/.

“Our Story – Brave Generation.” Brave Generation. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://bravegeneration.org/.

“Ukraine: Civilian Casualty Update 24 September 2023 | Ohchr.” United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, September 26, 2023. https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2023/09/ukraine-civilian-casualty-update-24-september-2023.