Petrach Program
Annual Online Conference 2026

Global Turmoil And Wartime Ukraine

 

Held April 24, 2026

The Fourth Annual Petrach Program Online Conference on Ukraine, “Global Turmoil and Wartime Ukraine,” brought together scholars to examine Ukraine’s wartime experience in the context of shifting global politics, historical legacies, and the long-term challenges of recovery. Across five moderated panels, the conference moved from postwar reconstruction, health, justice, and academic imperialism to key historical moments shaping contemporary Ukraine, the geopolitical upheavals affecting Ukraine’s war effort, Ukrainian responses to Russian hybrid warfare, and the role of communication, media, and language in wartime. Petrach Program Ukraine Studies Fellows were joined by invited chairs, discussants, and speakers from universities, research centers, and policy institutions in Ukraine, North America, and Europe.

Key Themes & Discussion Topics

Postwar Recovery, Justice & Social Resilience

  • Financing and planning Ukraine’s postwar recovery
  • Health, education, and public institutions under wartime pressure
  • Accountability, justice, and responses to wartime harm
  • Knowledge production, propaganda, and academic influence

Historical Legacies, Identity & Political Trust

  • Imperial and Soviet legacies in Ukraine’s public spaces
  • National identity and political trust in a changing security environment
  • Historical movements, memory, and contested interpretations
  • Ukraine’s early statehood in international perspective

Global Turmoil, Hybrid Threats & Wartime Communication

  • Ukraine’s European path amid shifting global politics
  • Cyber threats, information pressure, and political warfare
  • Technology, military effectiveness, and citizen engagement
  • Media, language, diplomacy, and public narratives in wartime
  •  

Panel Speakers

Postwar Challenges Facing Ukraine

Vasyl Namoniuk,
Taras Shevchenko National University

Judy Twigg,
Virginia Commonwealth University

Oksana Yakushko,
George Washington University

Kseniya Yurtayeva,
Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs

Henry Hale,
George Washington University

Chair

Robert Orttung,
George Washington University

Discussant

How Did We Get Here? Key Historical Moments and Legacies

Ihor Dvorkin,
National Technical University Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute

Nataliya Reshetova,
CBS University of Applied Science

Oleksandr Zaitsev,
Ukrainian Catholic University

Tetiana Klynina,
National Aviation University

Michelle Kelso,
George Washington University

Chair

Georgiy Kasianov,
Marie Curie-Sklodowska University

Discussant

Geopolitical Upheavals and Ukraine’s War Effort

Petro Baykovskyy,
Ukrainian Catholic University

Valeriia Gergiieva,
Odesa Center for Non-Proliferation

Ibrahim Muradov,
University of British Columbi

Paul D’Anieri,
University of California

Uliana Movchan,
Karazin Kharkiv National University, CEPA

Chair

Lise Howard,
Georgetown University

Discussant

Ukrainian Responses to Russian Hybrid War: What Can We Learn?

Ilona Khmeleva,
Economic Security Council of Ukraine

Oleksii Polegkyi,
Center for Public Diplomacy

Yuri M. Zhukov,
Georgetown University

Emma Matteo,
Harvard University

Sharon Wolchik,
George Washington University

Chair

Timothy M. Frye,
Columbia University

Discussant

The War in Words: Communication and Language

Marta Dyczok,
University of Western Ontario

Volodymyr Kulyk,
Kyiv School of Economics

Petro Kuzyk,
Ivan Franko National University

Dariya Orlova,
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Peter Rollberg,
George Washington University

Chair

Roman Horbyk,
University of Zurich

Discussant

Stay informed and not overwhelmed, subscribe now!