APPEAL to universities, scientific institutions and research centers of the world

At a time when Ukraine has become the epicenter of global geopolitical changes, the Ivan Franko International Foundation, together with Ukrainian scholars-humanitarians, appeals to the world scientific community, universities, international organizations and research centers to unite efforts to cleanse the world of pseudo-scientific doctrine of “The Russian world” and re-discover Ukraine to the world and the world to Ukraine.

World science in general and humanities scholars in particular, must respond to geopolitical changes by discovering Ukraine to the world in a systemic way. Ukrainians’ stubborn resistance to the Russian aggressor came as a surprise because the world knows too little about Ukraine. One of the reasons for this is that the history of Central and Eastern Europe, Slavic studies, Russian studies, etc. are broadcast to the West mainly through Moscow involvement. This is also one of the components of hybrid information warfare. The quality of such Russian broadcast was out of the question. A collective letter in support of the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine and the de facto genocide of the Ukrainian people by rectors of 700 Russian universities testifies that Russian science serves Russia’s imperial whims, military-industrial complex, forms historical myths, and facilitates fueling chauvinism and Russian Nazism.

It is time to speak about Slavic studies in general and Ukraine in particular, as part of a free Europe (with its history and culture) from the standpoint of a free, open science devoid of Moscow’s ideological invasion.

We urge you to open new Ukrainian studies centers today – departments at leading universities, institutes, curricula and research programs. Large-scale translation projects should be launched today, and international platforms should be set up to organize a complete and comprehensive cleansing of Slavic, Russian, and Ukrainian studies from pseudo-scientific claims and narratives formed in world science under the influence of Russian fictitious claims.

Together, and only together we shall liberate the world from Russian psychic and military aggression, and the world science from Moscow’s imperial fakes! And may life overcome death, and the light of knowledge overcome darkness!

The Ivan Franko International Foundation is a non-governmental public organization established in 2015 by Ivan Franko’s grandson Roland. Since 2016, the Foundation has been holding the Ivan Franko International Prize aimed to develop critical thinking and a competitive scientific environment in society, to incorporate Ukrainian humanities into the world and to discover Ukraine to the world. During its existence, the scientists from Austria, Italy, Ukraine and Finland became laureate of the Prize.



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