On 22 December 2025, Anastasiia Zarzhytska, Lead Specialist of the International Relations Office of Khmelnytskyi National University, took part in the year-end event of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies – GCUS Year-End Gathering 2025. The event provided an important opportunity for the international academic community to pause at the end of the year, reflect on achievements, and outline strategic priorities for the development of Ukrainian studies worldwide in the coming year.
During the meeting, Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Olha Oseredchuk-Savenko, Head of the Project Office of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, presented the key outcomes of the Coalition’s activities in 2025. They discussed achievements, the scaling up of the initiative, and future plans. Particular emphasis was placed on the growth of the international partnership network and the creation of a sustainable academic space for in-depth and professional study of Ukraine at universities across different continents.
A significant highlight of the evening was the online admission of ten additional universities from eight countries to the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. This step demonstrated the dynamic development of the initiative and the strengthening of international solidarity around Ukrainian studies as a distinct and independent field of academic research. As of December 2025, the Coalition comprises 60 universities from 23 countries that have signed memoranda of cooperation. An additional seven institutions hold pre-member status, while over 130 universities are at various stages of negotiation. Partners include leading global universities such as the University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Sorbonne Université, the University of Helsinki, the University of Oslo, Arizona State University, the University of Pretoria, the University of Tartu, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Galway. The geographical scope of partnerships spans from Finland to South Africa, as well as from Japan and South Korea to Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, clearly demonstrating the growing global interest in Ukraine and its expanding academic presence worldwide.
It is particularly noteworthy that on 22 December, a long-standing partner of Khmelnytskyi National University, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, officially joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. The university entered the Coalition by signing the agreement and selecting the highest level of engagement. During the meeting, the university was represented by the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, Prof. habil. Dr Rafał Witkowski, and Dr Kostiantyn Mazur, a representative of the International Cooperation Office. The accession of one of Poland’s leading universities marks an important step in strengthening regional and pan-European cooperation in the field of Ukrainian studies.
The concluding highlight of the year-end gathering was an open lecture by Ostap Ukrainets, philologist, writer, and Head of the Education Department of Cultural Forces, entitled “From Wheat to Plastic: Transformations of Christmas Culture in Ukraine”. Delivered in English, the lecture served as a meaningful and inspiring conclusion to the day and once again underscored the importance of the cultural dimension of Ukrainian studies in the international context.
Участь представниці ХНУ у GCUS Year-End Gathering 2025 є логічним продовженням активної залученості університету до ініціатив Глобальної коаліції українських студій. Раніше Анастасія Заржицька також долучалася до заходу, присвяченого Дню Революції Гідності, в межах якого відбулася лекція керівника Українського інституту національної пам’яті Олександра Алфьорова «Революція Гідності: історична ретроспектива». Під час тієї зустрічі йшлося про ключові сенси Революції Гідності, суб’єктність українського суспільства, значення пам’яті як інструменту формування майбутнього та про те, чому українська історія є однією з головних мішеней російської пропаганди. Такі події вкотре підтверджують, що Хмельницький національний університет є активним учасником міжнародного інтелектуального простору, який працює на утвердження правдивого знання про Україну у світі.
It is also important to note that Khmelnytskyi National University’s involvement in the international initiatives of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies has deeper foundations. In November 2025, students from Khmelnytskyi National University and Bangor University (Wales) joined forces within the framework of “Ukrainian Week in the United Kingdom”—a series of educational and cultural events implemented under the auspices of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies and with the patronage of Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine. As part of this initiative, an online meeting of student self-governance bodies was held, during which both sides presented their programmes, discussed areas for further cooperation, and initiated joint projects aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of Ukraine’s culture, traditions, and contemporary realities within the British academic community.
The systematic participation of Khmelnytskyi National University in the activities of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies demonstrates the university’s consistent commitment to the development of international cooperation, support for Ukrainian studies, and the integration of Ukraine into the global academic space based on the principles of dignity, freedom, and responsibility.
Additional information:
The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, founded in July 2024 with the support of Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, is today the world’s largest international platform systematically advancing knowledge about Ukraine—its history, language, culture, contemporary processes, and Indigenous peoples, including the Crimean Tatars. The Coalition not only counteracts Russian propaganda in academic circles but also builds a long-term institutional presence of Ukraine in the global educational and research space, accompanying universities from initial contacts to the launch of academic courses and research programmes.