S3 Ep2: From the Revolution of Dignity to Full-Scale War: Civic Resistance in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is an ‘axial event’ in twenty-first century history, in which the agency of Ukrainians will have, one way or another, a tremendous impact on the future of global security. From Ukrainian soldiers and emergency rescue teams operating on the frontline to the extensive web of civilian volunteers across the country, civic resistance continues to be a potent counterforce to the brute force of Russia’s military machine. But can this unity be sustained and under what conditions? In this episode, we break down the origins of Ukrainian civicness from the start of the Revolution of Dignity that ousted the pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. We look at different roles adopted by a broad set of actors within the society since, following nationwide reforms and the pressures of Russia’s conventional and hybrid warfare. We argue that Putin’s strategy may well be to transform the war in Ukraine into a protracted and long-running conflict resembling the ‘new wars’ of modern time. Featuring Mary Kaldor, Professor Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict Research Group (CRD) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Oksana Potapova, a Ukrainian peacebuilding research and activist pursuing a PhD at the Department of Gender Studies at LSE.

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