Participation in Public Discussion

13.11.2024

The lecturers of the Department of Political Science and International Relations took part in the public discussion.

On November 12, 2024, the Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the Educational and Research Institute of Social and Humanitarian Sciences of LTSNU, Olena Mezhenska, together with other teachers of the department, took part in a public discussion on the topic: “Perceptions of collaborationism: consequences for stability and social cohesion “, which was organized by the National Platform of Sustainability and Cohesion. The discussion took place in two main directions: “Public opinion on collaborationism”; and “Government Policy on Collaborative Liability.”

There are different types of collaborationism: military, economic, political or administrative, cultural or spiritual, and domestic. Collaboration can be voluntary or forced. Currently, we can observe all types of collaborationism and unequivocally state that not all cases of collaboration with the enemy are voluntary. Therefore, the responsibility for different types of collaborationism must be different, and consideration of each case must be carried out taking into account the voluntary or forced collaboration with the enemy.

During the event, the key conclusions of sociological research were presented regarding society’s attitude to collaborationism and responsibility for it; draft laws on liability for collaborationism were analyzed; there was a discussion of actual changes in legal regulation.

Questions were raised regarding the determining criteria for evaluating collaborative activities, where, according to the regional coordinator of the National Platform for Sustainability and Cohesion in Luhansk Oblast, Olena Nizhelska, it should be involvement in specific crimes, and not the profession (rescuers or workers of communal services, medical workers, teachers ). At the same time, the profession is not an indulgence.

As Yulia Tyshchenko, co-founder of the National Platform, noted, along with the demand for justice in society, there is a high level of understanding that lustration procedures for collaborators should be applied in a personalized manner. Because living under occupation is not a crime. It is necessary to bring to justice not the fact that a person was a teacher or a rescuer during the occupation, but for the crimes in which he was involved and for the consequences of these crimes.”

Each state has to make its own decisions, based on the existing situation and pursuing the goals it seeks to achieve. If we are talking about a democratic legal state, which is exactly how Ukraine declares itself, then, accordingly, its policy regarding responsibility for collaborationism should be formed taking into account international standards for the protection of human rights, in particular regarding the determination of individual responsibility, the implementation of judicial proceedings, the absolute prohibition of torture, etc. and also rely on international humanitarian law.

The acquired knowledge will be applied in the educational components of the first (bachelor’s), second (master’s) and third (educational and scientific) levels in the specialty 052 “Political Science”.

We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to engage in scientific activities.

We thank the organizers of the event.

According to the Department of Political Science and International Relations