Attack on Ukraine

The "Together for Democracy" project by EAF Berlin and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung supports local female politicians and women's organizations in Eastern Ukraine.

Putin's attack on Ukraine had been discussed and feared as a scenario for weeks. As of tonight, it is a reality. The latest news is all the more distressing for us at EAF, as EAF held an online event just yesterday with experts from Eastern Ukraine for the local political network of Helene Weber Award winners had organized.

Darya Romanenko, head of the civil society center "Drukarnia" in Sloviansk, a city near the Ukrainian-Russian conflict line and the occupied territories, reported on the current events in the Donbas. The German citizen of Ukrainian origin vividly described how Russia is using hybrid warfare strategies and the humanitarian emergency prevailing along the contact line. She reported on the shelling of schools and kindergartens, and of teachers being forced to board buses to Rostov in Russia. Staged actions with which Putin intends to justify the attack on Ukraine. Women's organizations are particularly committed to supporting people in the occupied territories, for example by providing medical supplies. If Sloviansk is occupied again, as it was temporarily in 2014, she fears renewed, massive human rights violations and sexualized violence against women. Darya Romanenko is one of the last German citizens in the region and intends to continue reporting as an eyewitness.

Daria Dmytrenko, project coordinator at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Kharkiv reported from Ukraine's second-largest city that, until yesterday, her city had been going about its daily life, though residents were very tense and watching developments closely. In Germany, it is too often overlooked that Ukraine has been at war for eight years and that people have had to learn to cope with it.

Brigitta Triebel, head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's foreign office in Kharkiv, was also impressed by how level-headed the Ukrainian population and political leadership have remained in the face of Russian aggression. She also highlighted the dramatic nature of the situation. The European Union and Germany are now finally forced to realign their Russia policy, as Putin's behavior is calling Europe's entire security architecture into question. Furthermore, German politics and society must engage with Ukraine much more deeply, not least to counter Russian disinformation. The local female politicians of the Helene Weber Network could, for example, advocate for town twinning with Eastern Ukraine to foster personal exchange.

                                                               The "Together for Democracy!" project                                

Last autumn, EAF and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Kharkiv launched a networking and empowerment program for local female politicians and women involved in civil society in Eastern Ukraine. During a visit in October, EAF Chairwoman Helga Lukoschat met impressive women who, despite limited time and financial resources, are working with great dedication for the people in their communities. An important goal of the project is to promote German-Ukrainian exchange. To this end, a delegation of Eastern Ukrainian politicians and activists was planned to visit Berlin in early summer. Whether and how this can take place is unfortunately completely uncertain at the moment.

The spokeswomen of the Helene Weber Network, Lisa Stremlau and Notburga Kunert, were deeply impressed by the accounts and pledged to organize support together with EAF Berlin, including through fundraising campaigns for Ukrainian women's organizations.

Due to the high level of interest, EAF is planning another online meeting for exchange with our partners from Eastern Ukraine – provided the situation allows for it at all.

At EAF, we will do our utmost to provide information, offer support, and maintain contact with these courageous and impressive women.