Political science professor Nataliia Kasianenko led a teach-in sponsored by the Fresno State College of Social Sciences regarding the war in Ukraine on March 2.

Kasianenko, who was born in Ukraine, presented information on the current situation of the Ukraine-Russia war in a 1 ½-hour long teach-in held in the Henry Madden Library and streamed on Zoom. The teach-in was open to Fresno State community members and the extended local community.

The professor shared with the audience that much of her family remains in eastern Ukraine, where they have been experiencing constant bombardment from Russian forces for days on end.

Slideshows featured information provided by her family and friends sharing first-hand accounts of the war.

The teach-in began with Ukrainian history, with Kasianenko emphasizing how the country gained its independence. She also refuted the Russian government’s claims that the Ukrainian region was always part of the Russian empire.

Ukraine came under various occupations over the course of its history, which Kasianenko attributed to its demographic diversity.

She also noted that, during World War II, some western Ukrainian people allied themselves with Nazi Germany in the hopes of remaining independent from the Soviet Union, which sought to consolidate the region.

This would later be used by President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a justification for the invasion of Ukraine, claiming to be attempting to denazify the Ukrainian government.

Following World War II, Ukraine experienced various famines under the Soviet Union, which Kasianenko noted were used to terrorize the people of Ukraine to comply with various government policies such as collectivization.

In 1991, Ukraine gained its independence, and in 1994 signed the Budapest agreement, in which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances that its sovereignty would be recognized.  

Kasianenko explained that Ukraine remains split politically, with much of the Ukrainian-born nationalists residing in western Ukraine and pro-Russian nationalists residing in the east, with language and culture being the dividing factors.

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ukraine politically began to fracture, with the nation splitting as pro-western political figures were elected into office alongside pro-Russian political figures being elected in the east.

Kasianenko noted that, despite the political differences, 77.8% of the Ukrainian people identified as Ukrainian. 

The Russian Federation claimed that its current military operation is to protect ethnic Russians and Russian culture in Ukraine.

Kasianenko warned that this stance taken by the Russian Federation doesn’t necessarily end with Ukraine, saying that this has political implications with ethnic Russians in Eastern Europe and across the world.

“As we talk about this conflict, this is not about Ukraine. This is about the future of Europe, really,” said Kasianenko.

In 2013-2014, Ukraine underwent the Euromaidan revolution, expelling the pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych.

Following the revolution, the Russian Federation invaded Crimea under the pretext that it was moving in to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine in light of the toppling of the pro-Russian leader.

“They took over within a matter of days…  They took over government buildings and then within a matter of days they organized this referendum, which is considered illegal by the Ukrainian government and also the entire international community,” Kasianenko said.

According to Kasianenko, the Russian Federation conducted an illegal referendum with stark imagery, comparing the vote to remain with Ukraine as a vote for fascist Nazis and a vote for Russia as its savior.

Following the invasion of Crimea, Putin was hailed as a hero, as the Russian public saw the event as the inevitable annexation of the region and an attempt to raise his popularity in the country.

Shortly after the annexation of Crimea, the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine experienced a civil war in what is currently known as “the Donbas conflict,” which is still going on in the present day.

“Essentially what we have in the east of Ukraine, in the two regions of Donetsk  [and] Luhansk, we have these separatists taking over, and they’re saying, ‘We want independence.’ They once again conduct referendums, illegal referendums, and most of the people vote for the independence of the region,” Kasianenko said.

The Russian Federation funded the separatist forces to fight the Ukrainian forces, taking a passive approach until recently, sending one-third of its armed forces into Ukraine in an attempt to subdue the Ukrainian government, Kasianenko said.

She noted that, with the invasion of Ukraine, the government of Ukraine would be unable to join NATO, as NATO does not allow nations at war to join its alliance. 

The Ukrainian government recently applied to be associated with the European Union, with serious talks to join.

Kasianenko argued the recent application to join the EU was purely a symbolic one, which she interprets as the Ukrainian people further splitting away politically from its Russian neighbors in the east by moving closer to western Europe.

Ukrainian Fresno State alumnus, Mykhaylo Skitska, 31, said the spread of information has affected the local Ukrainian and Russian communities in Fresno, in particular noting the misinformation being spread.

“Both of the communities have been affected by both sides of the media, and the Russian-speaking Russian communities here have been affected by the Russian misinformation,” Skitska said.

Skitska arrived at the event to show support for and solidarity with Kasianenko, as well as help answer questions people might have about Ukraine to help combat misinformation. 

“The most transparent media source has always been the people themselves who are being directly affected by the situation. I think reaching out to community members… I think that’s the best way to filter out and be very much aware of what is actually happening,” Skitska said.

Skitska emphasized that people who are interested in knowing more about the Ukrainian invasion should reach out to members of the Ukrainian and Russian community in Fresno, as they have relatives in Ukraine who can provide first-hand accounts of the situation, with many who speak both Ukrainian and Russian.

On Feb. 24, Putin gave a speech in which he claimed that Ukraine was not a sovereign state, with much of its territory belonging to a former Russian leader and making a case that they have the moral obligation to protect the people of Ukraine from the pro-fascist, neo-Nazi government of Ukraine.

Putin claimed that the country of Ukraine was a pawn of the western countries, with ethnic Russians experiencing discrimination by the Ukrainian government, which they seek to overturn.

According to Kasianenko, western media glorified the current war in Ukraine, instilling the idea that Ukrainian people are able to fend off the Russian forces and creating an air of complacency as atrocities are being committed.

Kasianenko noted that, despite the aid being received, the Ukrainian people hoped that the western governments would do more to help prevent atrocities being committed by the Russian government in Ukraine by calling for no-fly zones.

“Putin doesn’t seem like he intends to stop and to pray. So if he engages in war with Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania, that are NATO members at the moment, are we going to also stand by and watch?” Kasianenko said.

Russian troops were also being misled by their own government, as Kasianenko highlighted a moment in which a Russian tank crew attempted to ask for gas from a Ukrainian police department only to be arrested, unaware of why they were being detained.

The confusion seems to be affecting Russian troops as well, with many who believe they are there to protect the Ukrainian people while members of the public yell at them to go away from the country, according to Kasianenko.

Kasianenko hopes that the Russian people will develop a collective consciousness as information of the Ukrainian invasion slowly makes its way, as reports of Russian losses appear in Russian news media.

This is slowly beginning to happen as protests against the war made their way to Moscow, according to Kasianenko. She added that these protests are actively being suppressed by the Russian government. Currently, Russian media is prohibited from referring to the Ukrainian war or an invasion, she said.

Kasianenko acknowledged that peace talks have occurred between the two governments. However, she said they amounted to nothing more than both governments sharing their demands with each other.