The Institute of Eastern European Studies (OEI) is shocked by Russia's aggressive invasion of Ukraine, the Russian regime's war against Ukraine and supports the decision of the Freie Universität Berlin to suspend existing institutional relations with our partner universities in Russia.

Therefore, we are not accepting new applications for the double master's programs with the Higher School of Economics in Moscow and St. Petersburg until further notice and are suspending our institutional research collaborations. This decision hurts. We have spent many years building and expanding our teaching and research collaborations and they were of great importance for our Institute and for Eastern European Studies in general.

The OEI is actively involved in the initiative of Freie Universität to establish an "Emergency Fund Ukraine" for students and scholars. Together with the Department of International Affairs and Academics in Solidarity, we are working on offers for students and academics who are fleeing the war zone in Ukraine or have to leave Belarus and Russia due to repression. We also support our students from and in Russia in solving difficulties that are now arising and welcome the decision of the DAAD to continue funding stays abroad for students and academics from Russia. For questions regarding study issues, please contact the coordinator Sabine Pag: sabine.pag@fu-berlin.de. For questions about Scholars at Risk, please contact Susanne Strätling: susanne.straetling@fu-berlin.de.

In view of the massive public demand for information on Eastern Europe, especially on Ukraine and Russia, we are increasingly engaged in media work to bring the Institute's expertise on Russia and Ukraine into the public and political discourse. Our goal remains long-term research and teaching in dialogue with researchers from all over Eastern Europe. 

Many school students also have questions about the war in Ukraine. Researchers from the Institute for East European Studies, together with colleagues from the Center for Contemporary History Research, are available for discussion and information events in Berlin schools. Information & contact: https://zzf-potsdam.de/en/news/angebot-fur-lehrkrafte-schulklassen-gesprache. 

Many of our students are currently active on the Polish border or in Berlin. If you would like to network here, please contact our Public Relations Officer: anna.khaerdinova2@fu-berlin.de.

Beginning March 1, 2022, the Eastern European Institute will host a regular Open Space where students, faculty, and guests will be in conversation about what is happening.