About the blog

In February 2007, the Stasiuk Program for the Study of Contemporary Ukraine (Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, CIUS) created a blog page for analyses of current events in Ukraine. At first, most of the articles are written by PhD candidate in History, Ilya Khineyko, but subsequently there have been a variety of writers. The articles have continued to generate feedback and discussion, and highlight not only major news items but also debates and discussions on issues pertaining to the various regions of Ukraine as well.

Between 2007 and 2014, the Stasiuk Program had several major areas of interest. Earlier it focused above all on three major areas: Ukraine’s relations with Russia; the Chornobyl nuclear disaster and its ramifications; and the fallout from the Orange Revolution of 2004. In each of these areas it held panels at the University of Alberta and at major conference venues. The Program  has also sponsored, 2003-10, the annual Stasiuk-Cambridge Lecture at Cambridge University,  in cooperation with the Cambridge Centre for Russian and East European Studies and the Ukrainian Students Association of Cambridge University. Since 2008, Cambridge has had a permanent Ukrainian studies program directed by Dr. Rory Finnin.

Contributions are always welcome, but may be edited for content. We also are happy to publish responses to articles, while monitoring for content that may be offensive. The blog site now operates independently from CIUS and the contents are the responsibility of the editor. Since June 2014, the blog has been administered by Tanya Zaharchenko, a recent PhD from University of Cambridge, and myself. Currently the major focus is on the Euromaidan civic uprising and its aftermath, perhaps the greatest crisis in Ukraine’s history but one that also has brought many positive and profound changes, as well as tragic losses.

David R. Marples
Distinguished University Professor, University of Alberta, Canada