“We would run the risk of getting arrested”

Four years of war against Ukraine have not left science unscathed – A conversation

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, not only have the Ukrainians suffered from the daily attacks, but science in general has been adversely affected by the war – in Ukraine, Russia and Germany. Professors Christina Clasmeier, Regina Elsner and Ricarda Vulpius are all experts on Eastern Europe. In the following interview with André Bednarz, they discuss the consequences for their work, the changes in their fields, and internal and external lines of conflict.

What are the most striking impacts of the war on science and your work?

Christina Clasmeier: Slavic studies are undergoing an accelerated change, aiming to be more than just Russian studies in terms of content and also institutionally, thereby shifting the focus more towards the other Slavic languages, literatures and cultures. For me as a linguist, what is striking is the restricted access to the Russian and Belarusian languages, their speakers. As a result, at the moment I’m unable to pursue certain research questions.

Regina Elsner: This also applies to my research field of religion and church. Direct contact on site is missing – in Ukraine and Russia, as well as in Belarus. But research ethics are also affected: What am I researching? Who benefits from my results and to what purpose? Russian propaganda even uses religion, which can promote peace but also wars. As a result, my work has become security-relevant.

Ricarda Vulpius: The war of aggression has turned Eastern European history upside down. We should have been focusing on Ukraine and its history much earlier and more intensively, without having a war draw our attention to it. In particular, archival work and cooperation with colleagues have suffered – in Russia due to contact and travel restrictions, and in Ukraine due to the war. That’s why we’ve been using source material more often that is already reviewed and prepared. Moreover, we are increasingly researching topics from the imperial periphery, for example, the South Caucasus or the Baltic region.

Has the embargo hindered you from travelling to Russia?

Vulpius: Yes. However, travelling there wouldn’t be an option either for other reasons. Regina Elsner and I would run the risk of getting arrested. We head the Münster branch of the German Society for Eastern European Studies, which Russia has classified as an extremist organisation. The danger to us, but also to all those who work with us and have family in Russia, is something we have to take seriously.

What do the external circumstances do to your academic communities?

Vulpius: The major attack has welded us together in Eastern European history in an unprecedented way. That is why we also jointly defend ourselves against unfounded attacks from a Russia-friendly public and are generally very present in terms of communication with institutions, parties, associations. Many of us feel the responsibility to support Ukraine.

Elsner: In theology, I do not see that. Only a few in Eastern church studies deal with current socio-political issues. As a peace researcher, I see a massive split in this discipline; the question of military support is very polarising, as is the handling of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Clasmeier: In Slavic studies, there are also intense debates. Fortunately, there is agreement on the necessity of being more than just Russian studies. There is heated debate around the role Russian studies topics may or should play. For example, there is disagreement over the handling of classical Russian literature because it is already permeated by imperial elements. Linguistics is also affected, for example, in the treatment and evaluation of the influence that Russian has had on the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages over the course of language history. The argumentation is sometimes irrational, but entirely understandable from a human perspective. Nevertheless, as difficult as such engagement is, it is crucial that we maintain scientific standards ...

Elsner: ... whereupon Ukrainian colleagues sometimes accuse us of promoting Russian propaganda.

Vulpius: This also affects the common scientific language. It is now unthinkable to use Russian as a means of communication with many Ukrainian colleagues. In certain cases, we make do with English if not everyone can speak German or Ukrainian.

Ukraine and Eastern Europe as a whole have been in much stronger focus socially and politically since 2022. Does this also mean better financial support for your subjects and research?

Vulpius: I don’t see that. Nevertheless, I highly appreciate that the German system has improved the funding opportunities for displaced academics. This is, in my opinion, unique in the EU at this scope. However, I notice that the situation for these academics, especially in the postdoc phase, is difficult. They have little planning security, struggle academically and financially to survive. This also influences and burdens our research.

And how does the war affect students and studying in general?

Clasmeier: I do not see an increased interest in Slavic studies among students since the war. Many young people do not understand that their freedom is also existentially threatened. This is shocking.

Elsner: I agree. I don’t recognise any particular political-ethical interest among students on this topic.

Clasmeier: Ukrainian is unfortunately not as much in demand in Münster as we would like, although the institute has taken pains to offer corresponding language courses. Russian continues to be more of a focus for students.

Vulpius: I am surprised though by the discrepancy. On one hand, students want references to current topics, but on the other, courses such as a lecture on the history of Russian-Ukrainian relations are hardly attended. Still, one experiment was successful. In an online event, students from Münster and Czernowitz worked together. Through personal exchange, it became clear that Ukrainian students in the war do not know whether they will still be alive tomorrow, have electricity or need to seek shelter in the cellar because of an air raid alarm.

Elsner: Mainly those who show interest in courses have roots or relatives in Eastern Europe. People who have had contact with Ukrainians as host families or at school also want to learn more about the background.

A personal question: You have dedicated yourself as academics to the Ukrainian and Russian language, history, religion and people. How have you fared since February 2022?

Vulpius: For me, it is the collapse of a dream. Also because I experienced the bloc confrontation in the 1980s and then the rapprochement between East and West after 1990.

Clasmeier: I feel great sorrow about what is happening in Ukraine. But also about what is happening to “my” Russia. I studied Russian out of a great affection for this region and its people. It is horrifying and painful that this country is waging such a brutal war.

Elsner: I feel a deep loss of trust in dealing with Russian colleagues. Why is this person allowed to leave Russia, were they sent, can they still be trusted? Many connections to Russia have been broken. After my long time there, I have lost a piece of home. But since 2022, I have been mainly occupied by constant concern for my Ukrainian colleagues – and this concern shapes everyday life very much.

Vulpius: Friendships and close academic relationships have broken down. Alexei Miller, a well-known Russian historian and good colleague of mine, now supports Putin’s course to annex Ukraine. Our field is now asking whether Miller might have worked for the Russian secret service, and what responsibility we also bear. The consequence is that we’re no longer able to speak to each other.

Is there anything that gives you hope despite everything?

Vulpius: It is impressive how many researchers in Ukraine carry on. For example, at the University of Kharkiv, which immediately moved to the basement at the start of the major attack and continued operating from there. This fearlessness has left me speechless. At the same time, the situation is catastrophic and the danger of further escalation is great. But to return to hope: it is a great enrichment that we now look much more strongly at Eastern European history beyond Russia and can meet Ukrainian colleagues in webinars thanks to digital networking who cannot get out otherwise. This brings us closer together.

Elsner: It gives me hope to see the resilience of Ukrainian academics, their will not to let their own work and attitude be broken by the war.

What do you wish for the future with regard to science?

Vulpius: With regard to Ukrainian academics, I wish that they retain the strength to continue despite all the horrendous circumstances. I also hope that they withstand the pressure to politicise historical findings. Even if they sometimes run the risk of being branded as traitors to the people.

Elsner: I hope that we can get into conversation again, and that the politicisation of academic content decreases. I believe this can happen in small settings, where there are no cameras, no press releases, just in personal exchange.

Vulpius: These are exactly the bridges we need.

Clasmeier: And we need one more thing: the critical voice of science in a world increasingly dominated by the law of the stronger. I hope that it will be heard.

About the interviewees:

Dr Regina Elsner has been a professor of Eastern church studies and ecumenics at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Münster since 2023. She mainly researches Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe and Orthodox social and peace ethics. She also examines churches and civil society in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and deals with ecumenical relations.

Dr Ricarda Vulpius has been a professor of Eastern European and East Central European history since 2021 and head of the Department of History of the University of Münster since 2024. Her research focuses on the history of the Russian Empire and Ukraine and its entanglements, particularly between the 16th and 20th century.

Dr Christina Clasmeier has been assistant professor for Slavic linguistics with a focus on translation studies since 2022. She studied East and West Slavic studies, as well as psychology at the University of Hamburg and completed her doctorate in Slavic linguistics at Ruhr University Bochum. She deals, among other things, with the psycholinguistics of the Slavic languages.

This article is taken from the university newspaper wissen|leben No. 1, February 4, 2026.

“We would run the risk of getting arrested”

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