Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1302

31 December 2025

Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Demographic Crisis in Ukraine

Since 1994, Ukraine’s population has been in steady decline; however, a severe demographic crisis has unfolded over the past three years. Russia’s armed aggression has led to mass internal and international migration, a sharp decline in the birth rate and life expectancy, as well as increased mortality and significant changes in the distribution of the population across the...

More →

Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1371

29 December 2025

Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Re-evaluation of World War II Heritage in Ukraine

On 8 May 2025, the 80th anniversary of the signing of the act of unconditional surrender by Germany and its armed forces took place. On this day, Ukraine celebrated for the second time the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II (1939–1945). The new public holiday was intended to combine two earlier traditions: Victory Day over Nazism in World War II, observed...

More →

Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1423

12 December 2025

Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Changes on Ukraine’s Historical Front: The Law on State Policy of National Memory

Russia’s full-scale invasion prompted the Ukrainian authorities to rethink their national memory politics. The most recent innovation was the adoption on 21 August 2025 of the law on state policy in the field of national memory, which defines, in particular, the purpose, main principles, tasks, and legal foundations of this policy, as well as its subjects and their powers. The...

More →

Baltic Team, Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1359

20 May 2025

Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik | Andrzej Szabaciuk - Baltic Team, Eastern Team

Orthodoxy in Estonia: Between Autonomy and National Security

The restoration of Estonian independence led to the division of the local Orthodox Church into two: one subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the other dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Estonia took a harder line on the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. This resulted in administrative...

More →

Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1323

27 March 2025

Andrzej Szabaciuk - Eastern Team

Decree of Vladimir Putin on Regulating the Status of Ukrainian Citizens in the Russian Federation dated March 20, 2025

The Russian invasion of Ukraine after February 24, 2022, has a distinct biopolitical dimension. Its aim is to achieve total control over the population of the occupied territories through denationalization, forced assimilation, and the elimination of groups deemed undesirable. Consequently, deportations of children from occupied areas are being carried out, along with the issuance...

More →

Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries Brief 1289

14 February 2025

Jakub Olchowski - Eastern Team

Russia’s Triumph

Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin was in fact a success for Russia. There are many indications that the Trump administration’s policy will lead to rejecting all of Ukraine’s expectations while taking into account Russia’s demands. Such actions by Washington weaken the cohesion of the West and deepen transatlantic tensions, while Russia gains legitimacy for...

More →

Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1277

29 January 2025

Jakub Olchowski - Eastern Team

Donald Trump, the 47th President of the USA – Ukraine’s fears and hopes

Donald Trump, as the 47th president of the United States, raises both fears and hopes in Ukraine. Although Kyiv was skeptical about Trump’s previous term, disappointment with Joe Biden’s policies has led to greater openness towards the new US leadership. Ukrainians expect that Trump, attached to his image as a strong leader, will take more decisive action against Russia. At...

More →