On February 24, 2026, the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE) hosted a Teach-In on Ukraine titled “Where are We Today: Four Years into the War?” (watch recording) with five presentations by U-M faculty and experts. The interdisciplinary session was followed by a free screening of the documentary film Lina, part of the month-long WCEE Film Series on Ukraine, and roundtable discussion addressing the forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russian territory. The next day, WCEE welcomed Ukrainian-Canadian historian Serhy Yekelchyk (University of Victoria) for a wide-ranging lecture on “The Roots of Russia’s War on Ukraine.”
Presenters at the WCEE Teach-In provided a comprehensive overview of the war's complexities and its effects on Ukraine, its people, and the international community. Professor Jeffrey Veidlinger explored the role of ethnicity in Russia's war on Ukraine, focusing on President Zelenskyy's Jewish identity and its use in both Ukrainian and Russian propaganda. WCEE Postdoctoral Fellow Danielle Leavitt shared personal stories of ordinary Ukrainians living through the war, highlighting the profound psychological and physical toll it has taken. Professor Emeritus Ronald Grigor Suny analyzed the geopolitical factors leading to the conflict and proposed a "radical middle position" for ending the war. Wallenberg Fellow and former WCEE Ukrainian Fellow Dr. Yuri Kaparulin discussed the historical context of genocide in Ukraine and the current debate over whether Russian actions constitute genocide. Lastly, Dr. Markian Dobczansky examined the impact of realism in U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine, arguing that it has hindered the development of meaningful relations between the two countries.
WCEE’s Film Series on Ukraine highlighted the experiences of the ongoing conflict through stories of resilience, strength, grit, and spirit. Earlier in the month, WCEE screened Erase the Nation (followed by Q+A with director/war correspondent Tomasz Grzywaczewski) and Soldiers of Song at the State Theatre.
Following the screening of Lina, which tells the story of a five-year-old Ukrainian and her family as they escape to Ukraine-controlled territory from Russian-occupied Kherson, WCEE Postdoctoral Fellow Danielle Leavitt moderated a panel discussion with Ambassador Craig L. Johnstone (Co-Founder, The Humanity Funds), Sylvia Ellison (Senior Advisor, Save Ukraine), and Nathanial Raymond (Executive Director, Humanitarian Research Lab, Yale School of Public Health). Their organizations play a vital role in the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of children and families affected by the war.
Serhy Yekelchyk is a leading scholar and author of eight books on modern Ukrainian history, Stalinism, and Russo-Ukrainian relations. In his talk at WCEE, Yekelchyk examined Putinist narratives alongside what he considers to be the real motivations behind Russian aggression, which lie in late Soviet and post-Soviet developments.
In the words of WCEE acting director Douglas Northrop, “These events all shed light on current circumstances and trends in Ukraine, and keep public attention necessarily focused on what is the most destructive conflict in the world since the 1940s.”
