The war started in Europe on 24 February 2022. Not a civil war, not a “liberation”, but a direct foreign intervention of the Russian Federation into the sovereign territory of Ukraine. In this new reality we live thousands are already dead, including civilians and children, Ukrainian cities, infrastructure, and economy are getting destroyed by constant shelling, missiles, and airstrikes, more than a million have already fled the country fearing for their lives and more are yet to come. 

Regardless of the outcome, the consequences are going to be tremendous and would take years to overcome. The situation could approach a humanitarian disaster within months. The least the academic community could do now is to condemn the unprovoked aggression by a militarist state driven by imperialist ambitions and distance itself from it by cutting all ties. We welcome a post in the Vice Chancellor’s blog and believe that more can be done to articulate the university’s position.

We acknowledge that resisting this terror and state-sanctioned militarism in Russia and Belarus requires courage and most certainly leads to repressions. Furthermore, we appreciate thousands who voice their dissent nevertheless. This letter in no way calls to target individuals based solely on their origin. Therefore, the doors should remain open for threatened and persecuted academics from both countries.

However valuable, symbolic support, under the circumstances, is clearly not sufficient. A display of meaningful solidarity and contribution would be extending a hand to Ukrainian youth whose livelihood and access to education were compromised and dreams shuttered, and equipping them with the knowledge they need to rebuild their lives and the country. Acknowledging that certain things cannot be resolved locally, we believe that, nonetheless, there is a potential for more resolute actions.

No one could have expected the war to happen at your doors. Processing this fact and dealing with its implications is also a good opportunity to reflect on the fortunes of the thousands of people in war-torn countries across the globe and consider what can be done for them.

Considering the above-mentioned, we, therefore urge Malmö University: 

1. To issue an official position with condemnation of Russian aggression and war crimes on all Malmö University Communication channels and social media.
2. To terminate all cooperation with public authorities of Russia and Belarus, academic, cultural, technological, and other institutions, particularly those supporting their government’s actions in Ukraine.
3. To introduce tuition waivers for residents of Ukraine, both at bachelor’s and master’s levels, and allow them to apply in the second admission round to start their studies already this autumn.
4. To appeal to the Swedish government for Ukrainian students’ financial support in obtaining higher education at Malmö University.
5. Establish a designated fund, open for donations, to support studies of the people from Ukraine and progressively extend it to others from the conflict-affected areas.
6. Make certain steps to relieve stress for Ukrainian students by showing understanding and flexibility in the study process, namely by offering the possibility to take exams at a suitable time, postpone them, set additional Q&A sessions in the course curriculum.

Considering links between education, war and peace, we believe that through this kind of support of the youth from Ukraine universities can proactively contribute their share in elevating consequences of this violence, along with becoming enablers for individual resilience, sustainable development and socially just peace. 

Sincerely,

Swedish Institute Network for Future Global Professionals at Malmö university,