Third Anniversary of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Role of the Churches in Ukraine and Russia Remains the Focus of the Chair of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics
A burnt-out Russian tank in front of St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv
A burnt-out Russian tank in front of St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv
© Pixabay | Oleg Mityukhin

Three years after the start of the large-scale Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Ukraine is still engaged in a defensive struggle against the Russian aggressor, which is seeking to destroy sovereign Ukraine, its national identity, language and culture by military means - but also in hybrid form. Recent international developments in particular give little hope of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine in the near future: Those who pursue a perpetrator-victim reversal and strive to achieve a “peace solution” over the heads of Ukrainians are harming Ukraine. This means that the situation in Ukraine remains extremely precarious on several levels.  As far as their possibilities allow, the staff of the Chair of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics strive to analyze and accompany current developments in the church and peace ethics in a scholarly-critical and at the same time solidary manner. We want to be a reliable support for our academic and ecumenical partners.

Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner, Professor of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics
Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner, Professor of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics
© KTF | Peter Leßmann
Expertise and Commitment to a Better Understanding of Ukraine

At the Ecumenical Institute, the staff of the Chair of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics have been closely connected to Ukraine both academically and personally for many years. Various research focuses at the chair make an important contribution to a better understanding of the ecclesiastical landscape of Ukraine, the historical and current ecclesiastical relations between Ukraine and Russia, the religious justifications for the Russian war of aggression, questions of ecclesiastical diplomacy and peace ethics perspectives on the war and a prospective conflict transformation. In the past year, Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner and her predecessor Prof. em. Dr. Thomas Bremer were also sought-after experts on the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine and Russia, which is reflected in numerous media articles and academic publications, a selection of which are listed on a separate subpage of our special page on Ukraine. The Chair of Eastern Church Studies and Ecumenics also continues to support the visibility of Ukraine-related activities at the University of Münster and in the city of Münster in the "Ukrainian Studies in Münster" (USiM) network.

Panel Discussion on February 25 in Berlin

On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, a high-profile panel discussion will take place at the Catholic Academy in Berlin to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Moderated by Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner, the Chairman of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, the former Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria Prof. Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the Protestant church historian Prof. Dr. Katharina Kunter (University of Helsinki) and Prof. Dr. Viktor Yelenskyi (Kyiv), the head of Ukraine's State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, and Prof. em. Dr. Thomas Bremer will discuss the question “Failed peace missions? Ecumenical blockades as an accelerant in Russia's war against Ukraine”.

A comprehensive report on the panel discussion can now be found here.