University of Tartu Ukraine Centre - UTUC

University of Tartu Ukraine Centre - UTUC We support Ukraine’s reconstruction, development, and European integration

STRIDE 2027 – applications are now open! We’re looking forward to welcoming a new group of inspiring professionals to ST...
05/10/2026

STRIDE 2027 – applications are now open! We’re looking forward to welcoming a new group of inspiring professionals to STRIDE!
We welcome early- and mid-career professionals from the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries who want to drive change in their organisations and societies. Together, we explore democracy, digital transformation, leadership and governance – combining online learning with an intensive programme in Sweden and Estonia.
The programme is fully funded by the Swedish Institute.
If you are 25–40, work in public administration, politics, business or civil society, and want to connect with an international network of changemakers, you are welcome to take a look!
The application is open by by 31 October, 23:59 CET
More information is in comments.

Science and innovation are at the core of Ukraine’s recovery.Adopted on 26 June during the Ukraine Recovery Conference i...
30/09/2026

Science and innovation are at the core of Ukraine’s recovery.

Adopted on 26 June during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, the Gdańsk Declaration sets a long-term direction for international cooperation: moving from emergency support towards lasting research partnerships that recognise Ukraine’s expertise and contribution to Europe’s knowledge economy.

Proud that among the signatories is the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine, of which The Guild and, through it, our University of Tartu are members.

The priorities include embedding research and innovation in recovery funding, investing in researchers and resilient institutions, strengthening links between Ukrainian scientists at home and abroad, and supporting Ukraine’s integration into the European Research Area.

The ambition goes beyond rebuilding damaged infrastructure - to creating the conditions for Ukrainian research and innovation to support sustainable recovery and strengthen European cooperation.

See the link with full text and the video in comments.

The Honorary Consulate of Ukraine was officially opened in Tartu, on the premises of HUUM. The company’s head, Estonian ...
28/09/2026

The Honorary Consulate of Ukraine was officially opened in Tartu, on the premises of HUUM. The company’s head, Estonian entrepreneur Siim Nellis, has been supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several years. His mobile saunas, along with other humanitarian aid, have been sent from Estonia to the Ukrainian front.
Mr Nellis has now been appointed Honorary Consul of Ukraine. He will not deal with routine consular matters such as issuing certificates and other documents. Instead, his role will focus on promoting co-operation between Estonia and Ukraine and supporting events in Tartu held in solidarity with Ukraine.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by His Excellency the Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia, Volodymyr Boiechko; the Mayor of Tartu, Urmas Klaas, the Rector of the University of Tartu, Professor Toomas Asser; Director General for Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia of Estonian MFA Erika Ellamaa, and other speakers. Government, business, and civil society representatives were present too.
We are deeply grateful to Mr Nellis for his immense for Ukraine. We congratulate him on his new role and look forward to fruitful co-operation.

On 17–18 September, the TruthShield project (2025-1-EL01-KA220-HED-000361161) partners University of Tartu, Πανεπιστήμιο...
21/09/2026

On 17–18 September, the TruthShield project (2025-1-EL01-KA220-HED-000361161) partners University of Tartu, Πανεπιστήμιο Πελοποννήσου - University of the Peloponnese, Universidade Lusófona - Centro Universitário Lisboa, Hochschule Wismar and Український Центр Майбутнього/Ukrainian Center of the Future came together for a working meeting focused on the next key stages of the project.
During the meeting, we finalised the structure and content of the upcoming E-Handbook “Think Before You Click: Protecting Your Mind from Manipulation”, which will be released soon.
The partners also discussed the next educational outputs of TruthShield: the training programme for students and the training programme for university academic staff, which will be further developed after the handbook is completed.
These activities will build directly on the handbook’s approach, helping participants better understand how manipulation works, what psychological mechanisms and vulnerabilities it targets, how to recognise manipulative influence, and how to respond to it more consciously and effectively.
The handbook is almost here — and the next phase of TruthShield is already taking shape.

🇺🇸 Stanford meets Skytte!Last weekend, we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of Stanford University students to Skytt...
16/09/2026

🇺🇸 Stanford meets Skytte!

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of Stanford University students to Skytte as part of their study trip across the Baltic states. 🇪🇪

💬 During their time in Tartu, the students joined Dmytro Khutkyy, Oleksii Kolesnykov, and Piret Ehin for discussions on Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and what it means for Estonia – from public perceptions of the war to its impact on elections, party politics, ethnic relations and social cohesion.

Joining the students on their visit were Amir Weiner, Director of Stanford’s Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREEES), Liisi Esse, Curator for Estonian and Baltic Studies at Stanford Libraries, and Lisa Trei, Consultant at Vabamu museum.

🤝🌍 The visit was another chapter in the long-standing ties between Stanford and Skytte, which have grown over the years through research exchanges, visiting fellows and summer internships.

✨ Delighted to announce that the Svenska institutet has once again supported our joint Linköpings universitet-Universit...
15/09/2026

✨ Delighted to announce that the Svenska institutet has once again supported our joint Linköpings universitet-University of Tartu (Political Science - University of Tartu / University of Tartu Ukraine Centre - UTUC) programme STRIDE - Strengthening Trust, Resilience, and Institutions of Digital Democracy in Europe that aims to empower early- to mid-career professionals in public administration, policymaking, and civil society from Eastern Partnership countries to drive democratic change.

🎉 Congrats to Mariana Siri, Niklas Hamström, Elin Wihlborg Elg, Dmytro Khutkyy, Kerli Klock, Varje Kuut, Maili Vilson, and myself.

Stay tuned for further news 😉

How is Russia’s full-scale war reshaping political competition in Ukraine? What new patterns are emerging? And what migh...
27/08/2026

How is Russia’s full-scale war reshaping political competition in Ukraine? What new patterns are emerging? And what might Ukraine’s political arena look like during the first post-war elections?
These were the key questions addressed by UTUC Research Fellow Alex Kolesnikov at the 17th ESA Conference 2026 “Strengthening Democracies: Social Action, Solidarity, and Sustainable Futures”, held in Warsaw.
He presented the paper “Wartime Political Competition and Contours of a New Political Arena in Ukraine,” which examines how the war is transforming political competition and laying the foundations for a potentially significant reshaping of Ukraine’s political landscape.
The study also looks ahead: What could political competition look like in the first post-war elections? Which new political actors and cleavages might emerge? And how could these transformations affect Ukraine’s party system and the composition of the next parliament?
The paper is co-authored with Piret Ehin and Greg Nizhnikau and forms part of the research project “Transformation of Sociopolitical Cleavages in Ukrainian Society in the Context of the War,” conducted at the University of Tartu with support from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium under targeted grant agreement No. 6.2-7/605.
Special thanks to research assistants Grace Tovkach and Daria Ahafonova for their tremendous work on the literature review and data collection!

Dmytro Khutkyy presented the paper "Unity and Division: Civic Identity, Cleavages, and Polarisation in Wartime Ukraine" ...
26/08/2026

Dmytro Khutkyy presented the paper "Unity and Division: Civic Identity, Cleavages, and Polarisation in Wartime Ukraine" at ESA 2026 in Warsaw. It is based on a systematic literature review and meta analysis of survey data of post-2022 sources about Ukraine. Both unifying and dividing patterns require further studies to anticipate the resulting trend.
The paper is co-authored with Olga Matveieva and Vasil Navumau. The research has been performed together with collaborators Grace Tovkach and Daria Ahafonova, inspired by Alex Kolesnikov, and led by project PI Piret Ehin
The project has been funded by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium.

A summary of the 03-09.08.2026 international relations updates by the security expert Rainer Saks:03.08.2026The Russian ...
09/08/2026

A summary of the 03-09.08.2026 international relations updates by the security expert Rainer Saks:

03.08.2026

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that its air defences had destroyed 1,185 Ukrainian long-range drones in a single day. If this claim is true, it would mean the Russian army has never launched so many long-range drones in a single day.

04.08.2026

President Zelensky continues to speak optimistically about progress in military cooperation with the United States. According to him, new agreements on launching missile-related cooperation are being prepared, following agreements in principle reached during his latest visit.

05.08.2026

Russia has managed to improve petrol supply to filling stations. Although the situation varies between regions, sales restrictions have not yet been lifted. In other words, Russia’s motor-fuel market remains highly vulnerable.

Several media outlets published headlines claiming that the Russian army was planning a new incursion from the north into Chernihiv Oblast. The headlines were based on information provided by Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

06.08.2026

The President of Ukraine announced that the objective of the Ukrainian military is to destroy the Russian army’s Iskander ballistic missile launchers. The Ukrainian military has been trying to achieve this objective since the beginning of the war, and Iskander missile launchers have been hit at several locations, including in occupied Crimea.

08.08.2026

The U.S. Senate gave final approval to the Russia and Iran sanctions bill initiated by Lindsey Graham and sent it to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Since the sanctions would ultimately enter into force at the discretion of the U.S. president, this provides an opportunity to exert negotiating pressure on both Russia and Iran.

Although the U.S. president has indicated he intends to sign the bill, its swift passage through the House of Representatives is not guaranteed, and President Trump’s final position is not entirely clear.

09.08.2026

While visiting Serbia, the Ukrainian president told the press that the United States would begin supplying Ukraine with air-defence missiles each month. He did not specify which types of missiles or the quantities involved, but noted briefly that they would certainly not be sufficient to repel Russian attacks.

According to President Zelensky, Ukrainian-produced ballistic missiles are expected to be used against Russian military targets as early as this autumn. In the president’s assessment, the Ukrainian missile and drone manufacturer FirePoint is very close to achieving this capability.

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