School of Social and Political Science

Description

The Ukrainian Politics Network (UPN) brings together scholars, student associations, policy practitioners, public organisations and media professionals. We work to inspire greater interest in Ukrainian politics and society through research, learning and teaching initiatives and collaborative events.

The UPN stems from a partnership between the University of Edinburgh (UoE) and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) under the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative. This collaboration began in early 2023 when the UoE School of Social and Political Science and KNU’s Institute of International Relations jointly launched the Geopolitics Research Lab. In August 2023, the Lab hosted an exploratory workshop titled ‘The Consequences of Russia’s War on Ukraine’. The workshop gathered leading experts to examine the war’s environmental, political, and security implications and fostered a discussion on future research and teaching cooperation. Building on this success, the UPN aims to extend its reach to other groups and organisations. 

Our goals include:

• Promoting the exchange of ideas and knowledge building on Ukraine’s foreign and security policies by launching teaching and research initiatives to inspire greater interest in Ukrainian politics among the student community.
• Exploring pathways for postwar reconstruction and reconciliation.
• Shifting the focus in post-Soviet studies away from Russian-centric approaches to highlight historically marginalised perspectives.
• Strengthening Scottish understanding of Ukraine by raising awareness of the challenges Ukraine faces and its potential.
• Providing a collaborative space for engagement with public organisations, student societies, and media to amplify Ukraine’s story and foster wider community involvement.
• Creating volunteering opportunities for UoE and KNU students to engage with academic, advocacy, and policy practitioners, with the goal of fostering an environment of learning and impactful participation.

The UPN aspires to become a catalyst for academic exchange, policy dialogue, and public awareness about Ukraine. 

Events and Activities

• A student essay competition 2026 (further details below)
• Kyiv-Edinburgh Student Forum 2026 (further details below)
• Understanding Ukraine: Student-Led Historical Insight Project
• A hybrid workshop on 24 March 2026, exploring the topics of (i) Ukraine and the new world order, and (ii) the future of Ukrainian studies with an emphasis on collaborating with the Ukrainian community/academia and engaging students
• The UPN is also co-organising the Edinburgh Interdisciplinary Ukraine Conference themed ‘Hybrid Warfare and Ukraine’s Resilience’, scheduled for March 12th 2026

Resources

• Resource List for Ukrainian Studies
• Teaching and learning about Ukraine
• Dïaspora journal established and edited by UoE Ukrainian Society
• Civil society in Ukraine - a research paper
• Civil society in Ukraine - a literature review

Project team

• Katarzyna (Kasia) Kaczmarska
• Mykola Kapitonenko, Associate Professor, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
• Urania Chan, PhD Researcher, University of Edinburgh
• Daniil Malitskyy, Research and Communications Assistant
• Yuliia Antonenko, Research and Events Assistant
• Benjamin Pyatski, Volunteer Photographer
• Ulrich Poehlmann, Research and Events Assistant
   

Past events

In 2026, UPN has hosted:

• The Kyiv-Edinburgh Student Forum - February 4th, 2026
  The Kyiv-Edinburgh Student Forum 2026 - agenda and summary

In 2025, UPN hosted three events:

• Hybrid Workshop - May 7th, 2025
  A hybrid workshop exploring innovative approaches to research and teaching on Ukraine
  Workshop agenda and summary
  
  
• Student Essay Competition on Ukraine’s Domestics and Foreign Policies - 2025
  Download our PDF for more information
  Download Leviathan: Tipping Point (Special Edition: UPN Student Essay Competition)
  
  
• Inaugural Workshop - February 27th, 2025
  A virtual workshop focused on contemporary challenges in Ukraine’s foreign and security policies
  Workshop agenda and summary
  
  
• We also contributed to the University-wide event titled “Reflections on Ukraine” organised in April 2025.

 

Get in touch

The UPN welcomes interested organisations and individuals to get in touch and help contribute to shaping our areas of work. Please get in touch at k.kaczmarska@ed.ac.uk

The project is supported by 

BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants and the RSE.