On May 6, 2024, students and teachers of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations took part in an open online lecture by the leading Ukrainian historian, doctor of historical sciences, professor, director of the Harvard Ukrainian Scientific Institute, Serhii Plokhy. In total, more than 100 people attended the lecture – teachers and students of various Ukrainian higher educational institutions, including the Yuriy Fedkovich Chernivtsi National University, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National University and others. Among those present were Ihor Hurak, Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Oleksandr Dobrzhanskyi, Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of Yuriy Fedkovich Chernivtsi National University, heads of departments.
Serhii Plokhy gave a very interesting and relevant lecture about the events of the modern Russian-Ukrainian war from the point of view of intellectual history, talked about his latest book “The Russian-Ukrainian War. The return of history”. The historian focused special attention on the causes and ideological prerequisites of Russian aggression against Ukraine compared the modern liberation struggle of Ukrainians with the events of the war for independence of the United States of America at the end of the 18th century. The researcher talked about the peculiarities of writing a historical book about modern military events that have not yet ended. Quite interesting and important opinions expressed by S. Plokhy were the assertions that the modern war will forever bury the imperial idea of the “great Russian nation”, and Ukraine must necessarily join the Western security structures because of the war.
Plochy`s lecture caused a frenzy among the audience. As a result, more than 20 questions were asked after the lecture, the answers to which the professor gave for more than an hour.