@okhromeychuk
Historian of East-Central Europe, PhD. Author of The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister (2022), ‘Undetermined’ Ukrainians (2013). Director of Ukrainian Institute London. www.olesyakhromeychuk.com
Our latest issue is out today! With excellent writing from @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social, @philtinline.bsky.social, @okhromeychuk.bsky.social, @katemaltby.bsky.social, @imaanirfan.bsky.social and so many others. Please read!
Got my hard copy of @prospectmagazine.co.uk with my Kyiv diary in it. You can read the piece online (link below), but if, like me--and Mikey, pictured here--you prefer the feel of a printed magazine, pick one up at your nearest newsagent.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...
Today is Lesia Ukrainka’s birthday. I invite you to watch my conversation with @timothysnyder.bsky.social, IWM's Lesia Ukrainka Permanent Fellow, about her legacy for Ukraine and the world. The full recording is available on the IWM YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RIg...
It was a great honour to be the inaugural Lesia Ukrainka Senior Visiting Fellow at @iwm.at over the past three months. The fellowship enabled me to focus on my new project on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. A picture of Lesia was on my desk, watching over me. 1/2
Lesia Ukraїnka, one of Ukraine’s most distinguished writers and intellectuals, was born 155 years ago today. @timothysnyder.bsky.social met with @okhromeychuk.bsky.social to discuss Ukraїnka’s legacy, her connection to Vienna, and the relevance of her writing today.
👉 Full video: buff.ly/Ccw31xD
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is a moment to draw attention to the famous words of poet and writer Lesia Ukraїnka: "Contra spem spero"–"Against all hope I hope." Read more from @okhromeychuk.bsky.social: www.iwm.at/news/on-hope...
But, perhaps, unsurprising.
Facebook decided to block my account on 24 February.
You can read my short piece, along with contributions from Artem Chapeye, Dmytro Kuleba, Nataliya Gumenyuk and others, here: www.newstatesman.com/world/europe...
Texting my friends this morning, I found myself writing only: 'may this day somehow pass'. Because with each year, words carry heavier weight. In my comment for The New Statesman, I chose three words that must be used with caution. 1/2
Thank you for your efforts!
Read my new diary piece for @prospectmagazine.co.uk, and explore Ukrainian culture not only on the anniversary of ru's genocidal invasion. Explore it as a way of finding new answers to the questions that trouble us all today. Full text: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...
"Straffeloosheid leidt tot escalatie." 💯👇
Excellent advice on why Europe needs to put real pressure on Russia if there is ever going to be a move towards a just (& therefore durable) peace.
Rien à ajouter.
More here: ‘Peacebuilding after Dayton – Lessons for Today’,: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6FC...
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war, Ukrainians still find themselves having to explain that any peace negotiations require all parties to act in good faith, and we are nowhere near that point. Russia is not interested in peace: just or otherwise.
Il y a des questions qu'on aimerait ne pas avoir à se poser. Comme celle-ci, "êtes-vous prêt pour la guerre ?", à laquelle l'historienne @okhromeychuk.bsky.social répond à hauteur du civil ordinaire, en s'appuyant sur l'expérience ukrainienne.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...
This year, I am fortunate to be in Ukraine for its Day of Unity. One moment, I was watching children play on the frozen river, and the next, I witnessed the entire street freeze in silence as a military funeral procession passed by. This country is united, not least in its grief.
I am grateful to LiterAktiv, Ganna Gnedkova, and Khrystyna Kasianova for inviting me to speak, and to the Embassy of Ukraine to Austria for hosting us. Thank you for creating a space where we could safely share vulnerabilities and find comfort in solidarity. Here are some photos by Oksana Maslova.
"I agreed to be poisoned because I wanted to live.
‘You’re young; we’ll pour everything we can into you so you can go on for another forty years’, said my optimistic doctor."
The original English version can be read here: olesyakhromeychuk.substack.com/p/shapeshift...
You can read the Ukrainian version and support independent Ukrainian media here: theukrainians.org/perevertni/
It’s deeply moving to see Shapeshifters—my text about cancer, war, womanhood, and transformation—published in a beautiful Ukrainian translation by Mariia Bahrii in Reporters.
Links to the original text and the Ukrainian translation are below.
Illustrations: Bohdana Rudenko. Photos: Nicola Roper.
Friends in Vienna, join me on Monday 19th January at the IWM Fellows’ Colloquium. I confess to a certain trepidation in sharing this invitation, as it will be my first time speaking publicly about my new project. To attend, please register by emailing angeli@iwm.at: www.iwm.at/event/stolen...
Friends in Vienna, I’ll be speaking at the Ukrainian Embassy on 13 January and would be delighted to see you there. Many thanks to LiterAktiv for the invitation and for organising this discussion.
I encourage you to watch the conversation as we approach the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and observe ongoing negotiations aimed at bringing the war to an end.
Full recording: youtu.be/h6FCavDFW2Y
Was Russia’s war avoidable, and can peace be built without compromising accountability?
I had the privilege of reflecting on these and other questions at a discussion in Vienna marking the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Accords. 1/2
I’ve re-shared my conversation with Olivia Resenterra on Substack. Read it via the link below. And if you’re not yet subscribed, this is a good moment to do so: all my writing is free, and subscribing means new posts land straight in your inbox. olesyakhromeychuk.substack.com/p/where-hist...
It’s a short conversation, but Olivia Resenterra and I somehow manage to cover grief, dark humour, genre-bending, writing companions, and the need to honour lives lived and lost.
Kyiv Desk is full of real gems! Check it out.
Full text in English and French:
kyivdesk.com/2025/12/17/w...
