{ "144934-21896166": { "datetime_modified":"20260210T150634", "datetime_start":"20260225T160000", "datetime_end":"20260225T173000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-02-25", "date_end":"2026-02-25", "time_start":"16:00:00", "time_end":"17:30:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"WCEE Lecture. The Roots of Russia\u2019s War on Ukraine", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"WCEE Lecture. The Roots of Russia\u2019s War on Ukraine: Serhy Yekelchyk, Professor of History and Slavic Studies, University of Victoria", "event_subtitle":"Serhy Yekelchyk, Professor of History and Slavic Studies, University of Victoria", "event_type":"Lecture \/ Discussion", "event_type_id":"13", "description":"Putin\u2019s regime has advanced various pretexts for invading Ukraine, including NATO expansion, Ukraine\u2019s alleged \u201cneo-Nazi government,\u201d and a supposed genocide against ethnic Russians in the Donbas. These false claims are rooted in a narrative of the so-called historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians. After tracing the historical origins of Russia\u2019s unwillingness to accept an independent Ukrainian state, this talk examines these Putinist narratives alongside the real motivations behind Russian aggression, which lie in late Soviet and post-Soviet developments. Key factors include diverging political and social trajectories in Russia and Ukraine, conflicting interpretations of the Soviet past, and the distorted perception of Ukraine shared by Putinist elites and many ordinary Russians. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine is not merely about reclaiming historically \u201cRussian\u201d territories; it is also an attempt to eliminate a political and social model that the Russian dictator finds profoundly threatening. In this sense, the war represents an extension of his assault on Russia\u2019s own civil society as well as a continuation of a long-standing Russian crusade against Western influences.\n \nBorn and educated in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, Serhy Yekelchyk received a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta. He is the author of eight books on modern Ukrainian history, Stalinism, and Russo-Ukrainian relations. His monograph *Stalin\u2019s Citizens: Everyday Politics in the Wake of Total War* (Oxford University Press, 2014) was the recipient of the Best Book Award from the American Association for Ukrainian Studies, and its Ukrainian translation in 2019 received a special diploma of the Lviv Book Forum. His survey of Ukrainian history, *Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation* (Oxford University Press, 2007), was *Choice Magazine\u2019s* Book of the Year and went on to be translated into five languages. Yekelchyk is currently working on the third, considerably expanded, edition of his popular book about the Euromaidan Revolution and Russian aggression in Ukraine, *Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know* (Oxford University Press, 2020). Yekelchyk has written op-eds for the *Washington Post*, *Wall Street Journal*, and *Politico*. His interview credits include the BBC History Magazine, CNN, the *New York Times*, and numerous other international media outlets. A professor of History and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria, Yekelchyk is current president of the Canadian Association for Ukrainian Studies.\n\nZoom Registration Link: https:\/\/myumi.ch\/z98x4\n\nIf there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at gosiak@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"144934-21896166@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/144934", "building_id":"1000165", "building_name":"Weiser Hall", "campus_maps_id":"47", "room":"Room 555", "location_name":"Weiser Hall", "has_livestream":0, "cost":"", "tags":["russia","ukraine"], "website":"", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia", "group_id":"3111", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu\/wcee" }, { "group_name":"International Institute", "group_id":"1968", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu" }, { "group_name":"Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies", "group_id":"3097", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu\/crees" }, { "group_name":"Department of History", "group_id":"3470", "website":"" } ], "image_url":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_large_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "group_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "group_thumb_square":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb_square\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "group_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "group_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_large_crop":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_crop\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_list":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_list_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_grid":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_grid_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_feature_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg", "event_feature_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_144934_original-3.jpg" }, "occurrence_count":1, "first_occurrence":21896166 } , "145017-21896552": { "datetime_modified":"20260225T120227", "datetime_start":"20260225T163000", "datetime_end":"20260225T180000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-02-25", "date_end":"2026-02-25", "time_start":"16:30:00", "time_end":"18:00:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"Beginner Bike Repair Workshops with WoW (FREE!)", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"Beginner Bike Repair Workshops with WoW (FREE!)", "event_subtitle":"", "event_type":"Other", "event_type_id":"22", "description":"Want to be ready to fix a flat in a pinch? Adjust your gears for smoother riding? Interested in learning basic bike repair?\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nJOIN WOLVERINES ON WHEELS FOR OUR FIRST BEGINNER BIKE EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS! SIGN UP REQUIRED.\r\nWednesdays Feb 25 & Mar 25 from 4:30-6pm in the Duderstadt Fabrication Underground.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nYou will be working on recycled WoW bikes so\u00a0please do not bring your own bike into the facilities for these workshops--you can get repair support on your own bike at our drop-in hours.\r\n\u00a0\r\nThese workshops will center on ABCQuick Checks and the basics of bike maintenance. All bikes, tools, and materials will be provided so please just show up with an enthusiasm to learn and participate with our volunteers. Sign up here!\u00a0https:\/\/calendly.com\/wolverinesonwheels-admin-umich\/abcquick-check-workshop\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nInterested in volunteering or have other questions? 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