Conflict in Ukraine Divides University

Conflict in Ukraine Divides University

Russian-supported rebels seized control of the Ukrainian city of Donetsk two years ago. At the time, Marina Nagornaya was a first-year student at Donetsk National University.

“I remember that I was walking across the city and I saw all these barricades² around the buildings where authorities were. I thought, ‘what’s wrong with the people?’”

Donetsk is a city of one million people. It is in eastern Ukraine, about 100 kilometers west of the Russian border. A majority of the people speak Russian. The Donetsk area has close cultural historical ties to Russia.

Marina Nagornaya said life was quiet before the war. Donetsk gained fame as the host city for the 2012 European football championship.

Two years later, Donetsk was a war zone. It was at the center of heavy fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

Nastya Melchakovskaya was also a student in Donetsk.

“One day you hear the news that somebody wants to attack your city. Your neighbors start to support another country and other political ideas and you feel really strange because yesterday they were your friends and now you’re like, enemies.”

Rebels seize Donetsk National University

In April of 2014, separatists seized government buildings and declared the Donetsk Peoples’ Republic, or DPR. They announced that Donetsk was no longer part of Ukraine.

At Donetsk National University, rebel fighters seized cars and two student dormitories. By late summer, it was no longer safe for students to come to class.

In September, men with guns raised the flag of the DPR at the university. They demanded a pledge of allegiance from the teachers. Professors who did not support the rebels had to leave.

Roman Gryniuk, the university’s Ukrainian rector, was forced out.

“The so-called DPR’s government immediately informed me that I had to gather the academic board members in order to announce the DPR’s decision that our university would be under that terrorist group.”

Gryniuk and some sympathetic professors left Donetsk. But they did not forget about their students. They would teach them anyway — from an empty factory in Vinnytsia, 800 kilometers west of the city.

Donetsk National University became a university in exile.

Starting from nothing in Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia is a mid-sized city in central Ukraine. It is a three-hour train ride west of the capital, Kyiv.

The university administration used space in a Soviet³-era jewelry⁴ factory in the center of Vinnytsia. They had no computers, desks, or books. They had to leave behind the university’s library and student records.

With help from foreign partners, local officials, and the Ukrainian government, the university set up simple classrooms.

At first, only a few students made the trip west from Donetsk. Nastya Melchakovskaya was one of them. It was her first time living away from home.

“I want to say really thank you to our professors because I’m still here because of them. When I came to Vinnytsia there were only two of us in class from my group. And in Donetsk we have [had] 13 people. But my professor said he’s going to teach us anyway.”

Roman Gryniuk returned to his position as rector.

“In 18 months, we not only resumed the teaching and learning process but we also partially⁵ restored the facilities. With the help of our foreign partners we created modern computer and university labs.”

Gryniuk says the biggest problem is finding reasonably priced housing for the growing number of students.

Today about 4,000 students study at the new location. In Donetsk, there were 14,000 students before the war.

Meanwhile in Donetsk

Back in the city of Donetsk, the original university campus continues to operate under the control of the separatists. Both campuses claim to be the only “true” Donetsk National University.

In a speech in front of the main building, history professor Sergei Baryshnikov criticized the students who moved to Vinnytsia.

"The University is where it is supposed to be: in Donetsk. . .To those who are following the steps of Adolf Hitler . . . You will end up where you belong – on the waste dump of history.”

History is at the heart of the information war in the current conflict. Both sides have long lists of historical grievances⁷. For example, separatist supporters often accuse western Ukrainians of supporting the Nazis⁸ in World War II. Some pro-Ukraine activists⁹ say the rebels are trying to bring back the Soviet Union. One side’s freedom fighter is the other side’s terrorist.

The 2015 school year began on time in Donetsk. Students moved back into the dormitories.

Artem is a student at the Donetsk campus. He recently spoke¹⁰ to a reporter for Russia 24 television.

"I have many relatives in the Russian Federation¹¹ and in other countries abroad, I have an aunt in Germany and an aunt in Australia but I personally would like to stay in Donetsk after graduation from the University for about 5 years minimum. The war brought people closer and so the love for our country now is even stronger."

The university administration in Donetsk has brought back Russian academic standards. Ukrainian language and history classes have been cut back. The school changed its coat of arms from Ukrainian to Russian. Its website now has a Russian domain¹² address.

Some students are worried about the value of their university diplomas. Diplomas awarded by the DPR are not accepted in Ukraine or in the European Union. This year’s graduates received a second diploma from Southern Federal University in Russia. The students expect these Russian degrees to be accepted internationally.

“A Frozen Conflict”

Back in Vinnytsia, Melchakovskaya and Nagornaya hope their university will move back to Donetsk someday—under Ukrainian control.

But Gryniuk does not think that will happen any time soon.

“I personally think that the university will be here for a long time. The current events show that this will be a frozen conflict.”

The United Nations says that more than 9,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014. The level of violence has decreased in recent months. But the battle for young minds continues.

Words in This Story

barricade¹ – n. a temporary wall, fence, or similar structure that is built to prevent people from entering an area

terminal – n. a building at an airport where people get on and off airplanes

Donetsk Peoples’ Republic – n. a self-declared republic in eastern Ukraine. Russia is the only major power to recognize it as a state.

dormitory – n. a building that has rooms where students can live

pledge of allegiance – n. a promise of support or loyalty¹³ to a country or group.

ideology¹⁴ – n. a set of political ideas

Soviet-era – adj. the period when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union (1922-1991)

facility – n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose

grievance⁶ – n. a feeling of having been treated unfairly

biased¹⁵ – adj. having or showing an unfair tendency to believe that some people or ideas are better than others

coat of arms – n. a special group of pictures that belong to a person, family, or group of people and that are shown on a shield

diploma – n. a document which shows that a person has finished a course of study or has graduated from a school

1 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

2 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

6 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

7 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

12 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

13 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

14 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

15 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。