Children fleeing from Ukraine are seen in a bus playing with a Polish policeman after crossing Ukrainian-Polish border due to Russian military attack on Ukraine. Korczowa, Poland on March 2nd, 2022. Russian invasion of Ukraine causes a mass exodus of refugees to Poland. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via AP)
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More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion began three weeks ago, and Russia has ignored cease-fire agreements that would allow Ukrainians to safely escape. USC experts are available to comment on the growing refugee crisis. Experts also note similarities to the Balkan wars, such as the devastating trauma and cultural genocide, and explain the important political nuances of terminology and pronunciation for journalists covering Ukraine and Russia.
Contact: Paul McQuiston at paulmcq@usc.edu or (323) 527-7770 or Emily Gersema at gersema@usc.edu or (213) 712-3168
Ukrainians and international students are fleeing to Poland, but Ukrainians have easier entry
“There is this connection between Poland and Ukraine, which plays a very important role in this conflict. We already had 2 million Ukrainians living in Poland before the war. Poland, over the last few years, issued the highest number of work visas for citizens outside of the European Union.
“Refugees are crossing the border each day and among them there are not only Ukrainians but students from Africa. There are around 80,000 international students in Ukraine, mostly from Kenya and Nigeria. They are in a particularly difficult situation, because all the services and all the bureaucracy are aimed at helping people who have Ukrainian citizenship. ”
Katarzyna Pisarska is a faculty fellow at the Center on Public Diplomacy at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She is based in Poland and has been assisting refugee families. She also is the founder and director of the European Academy of Diplomacy in Poland.
Contact: cpd@usc.edu or on Twitter @kpisarska
The war could result in widespread, long-lasting trauma as seen in Yugoslavia
“The unfolding tragedy in Ukraine has drawn comparisons to wars that were fought in some of the darkest moments of European history. The parallels between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the horrific events of World War II and the Cold War seem apparent. However, an even clearer connection may exist with more recent events in modern Europe. In the early 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina sought to establish a multiethnic nation from the ashes of the former Yugoslavia. A brutal civil war then ensued, marked by genocide, the systematic murder of unarmed civilians, mass rape, and ethnic cleansing.
“Once peace finally returns to the region, Ukraine will face a major mental health crisis. A new generation of traumatized children and adolescents will need considerable services as they recover from the impact of exposure to war violence, flight from their homes, and forced separation from family members and friends. Put simply, these youth will need to learn how to move forward in a world that has fundamentally changed. The tasks ahead are formidable, and the world must respond with a multipronged mental health intervention.”
David Schwartz is an associate professor of psychology with expertise on childhood exposure to violence who was a consultant for UNICEF during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. He is a professor in the Department of Psychology at USC Dornsife College.
Contact: davschw@usc.edu
Reports of war crimes are flooding in. Is it genocide?
“As the war against Ukraine rages on, the international community is investigating allegations of war crimes, with the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and utilities; the indiscriminate use of unlawful weapons such as cluster munitions and allegations of rape and sexual assault. The massive displacement of Ukrainians, with 1 million refugees in one week, and millions more expected — the largest refugee crisis in Europe since WWII — may amount to crimes against humanity. Russia’s threats to wipe out Ukrainian statehood and national identity could amount to claims of genocide.
“While it’s too soon to know how long investigations may take and the likelihood of effecting arrest warrants against high-level leaders in Russia and Belarus, including Putin and Lukashenko, multilateral and regional institutional efforts to censure Russia in Europe and at the United Nations may have an impact. The U.S. can take steps, such as confirming Dr. Beth Van Schaack as the Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice, to bolster the ICC efforts and support Ukraine and allies.”
Hannah Garry is an expert on refugee issues, a clinical professor of law and the founding director of USC Gould’s International Human Rights Clinic.
Contact: hgarry@law.usc.edu
The world awaits the US response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis
“This unfolding refugee crisis follows quickly on the heels of the Afghan evacuation of August 2021. Advocates will pay close attention to whether and how the Biden administration creates a safe pathway for those fleeing Ukraine, and whether these next steps incorporate best practices learned in the wake of the Afghan evacuation. Of note, many will be watching to see what happens to the (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) Humanitarian Parole program and whether refugee processing abroad can be expedited.
“Similarly, many will look to whether the U.S. government will offer expedited consular services for Ukrainian nationals in third countries, and whether the United States will grant Ukrainian nationals temporary protected status here in the United States.”
Henna Pithia is a visiting clinical professor at the USC Gould School and leads the school’s International Human Rights Clinic.
Contact: hpithia@law.usc.edu
Journalists take care: Ukrainian-Russian linguistic differences are part of identity politics
“Russian and Ukrainian are closely related but distinct languages, and over the centuries differences in pronunciation inevitably arose. ‘Kyiv’ (Ukrainian) versus ‘Kiev’ (Russian) is one example of many. The legendary Grand Prince of ancient Kyiv/Kiev is St. Volodymyr in Ukrainian but St. Vladimir in Russian.
“The difference between ‘the Ukraine’ and ‘Ukraine’ is different. In Russian, the difference shows up when you are saying ‘going to’ or ‘being in’ Ukraine. The older, Russian locution is to say ‘na Ukraine’ or ‘the Ukraine’ — this implies Ukraine is a territory, not a state. The more correct contemporary form is ‘v Ukraine’ or ‘in Ukraine,’ which implies Ukrainian sovereignty.
“Further complicating the issue for some Russian speakers is the etymological origin of the name Ukraine. ‘Kraina’ is an old Russian word for border, and ‘U’ means at. So etymologically, ‘Ukraina’ (the Russian form of the name) meant ‘the region at the border’ — or, the border territory of the Russian empire, not a state or even place in its own right.”
Thomas Seifrid is a professor of Slavic languages and literatures at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Contact: seifrid@usc.edu
