We appeal to the members of the European Educational Publishers Group to start work on the promotion of Ukraine in the European space of memory, the promotion of Ukrainian cultural achievements and knowledge of the history of Ukraine in the school course on the history and geography of European countries, to abandon the dominant Russian-centric views on Ukrainian history and return it in the European context.
Russia's war in Ukraine has shown that democratic values are under threat, the colonial policy and authoritarianism of some states of the world is gaining momentum and poses a threat to the entire democratic world.
For decades, the Kremlin's propaganda machine influenced the public opinion of the countries of the world, forming the necessary messages about Ukraine's own democracy and inability to build its own state. When the Russian Federation occupied Crimea and started a war in Donbas, the level of support for Russia's policy steadily increased from 2014 and reached its peak in 2020 - from 22 to 34%. This shows that the West had a deep misunderstanding of modern Russia and weak ideas about the deep causes of the war and Russia's colonial aspirations.
Incomprehension of historical and political processes is manifested even in the second year of Russia's war against Ukraine, when there are not only cases of harassment of Ukrainian refugee children in European countries precisely because of their nationality, which is accompanied by the demonstration of Russian symbols and distortion of the cause-and-effect relationships of Russia's war against Ukraine.
One of the consequences of the subversive work of Russia and the insufficient attention of Ukrainian and European institutions was that in the educational process of Europe, textbooks and teaching aids Ukraine is almost not presented as an independent subject of history, Ukrainian plots are presented as a component of Russian or Soviet history or a geographical territory.
Distorting history creates fertile ground for manipulation in politics, and educational programs and textbooks are a powerful tool for shaping public opinion.
Given the fact that Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU accession, synchronizing views on the historical processes of the formation of the current geopolitical situation in Europe, understanding the participation of the Ukrainian nation and the state in joint historical processes is an extremely important task.
The coexistence of future generations of EU countries depends on understanding the common history and potential threats, perception of the impact of Russia's aggressive policy as a war in Europe.
We appeal to the members of the European Educational Publishers Group to start work on the promotion of Ukraine in the European space of memory, the promotion of Ukrainian cultural achievements and knowledge of the history of Ukraine in the school course on the history and geography of European countries, to abandon the dominant Russian-centric views on Ukrainian history and return it in the European context.
- Library Country Charitable Foundation
- ANTS National Interests Advocacy Network
