On Nov. 23, the Vassar Alliance for Ukraine hosted an event titled “International Efforts to End the Russo-Ukrainian War.” The aim of this panel was to spread awareness and understanding surrounding the ongoing war in Ukraine. This event was led by Vassar Alliance for Ukraine President Karolina Naidon ’26 and Treasurer Mary Lemza ’27.
The event consisted of two panelist groups, each featuring three individuals. Naidon introduced the event by discussing the historic tensions that have existed between Russia and Ukraine, with the beginning of the current war being marked by Russia’s occupation of Crimea and Donbas in 2014. Naidon detailed the recent proposal to end the war called the 28-point plan, a peace agreement proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as countless other previous attempts to resolve this over a decade-long war. She ended the introduction by stating that Russia has historically attempted to disband Ukrainian cultural practices and erase Ukrainian history, but events hosted by Ukrainian groups and organizations, such as the Vassar Alliance for Ukraine, prevent that loss from occurring.
The first panel, “War and Justice: International Humanitarian Law and Prosecution of War Crimes in Ukraine,” consisted of a variety of perspectives and expertise relating to international conflicts. One panelist was Vitalina Shevchenko, a current Youth Delegate at the United Nations (U.N.) and a member of the Mine Action Office under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. Another was Mariya Nikolova ’07, a specialist in international humanitarian law who currently works at the International Criminal Tribunal. Nikolova’s work consists of supporting judges in drafting the legal documents that define war crimes and ensuring reparations are given to wartime victims.
Shevchenko’s expertise in the inner workings of the U.N. helped to both frame the discussion about the legality of the war in terms of U.N. policy and highlight the overarching U.N. charter policies that have been broken. She discussed that the U.N. virtually has no power in resolving the conflict. Shevchenko stated, “We also have to be realistic in addressing this cause, as the Security Council [and the ability to create a peace negotiation] will not change so long as Russia is there and has veto power.”
Another panelist, Vassar Associate Professor of History Michaela Pohl, whose research focuses on the Soviet Union and its diasporas, also gave insight into the genesis of the conflict and war. When the panel was asked about how previous Russian conflicts have unfolded in comparison to this one, Pohl stated that historically, Russia has used intense war tactics such as “Terror bombing to make the population afraid… [and] ruin the interior of cities or villages.” According to Pohl, this war is different because Russia has a greater plan to transform Ukraine into a state in total support, controlled by Russia.
Nikolova highlighted that her greatest fears about the conflict are related to the 28-point plan. Point 26 of this plan would grant both countries amnesty for their actions. Nikolova stated, “This is an unlawful provision under International Humanitarian Law as no amnesty for war crimes can ever be granted.” She also discussed that Ukrainian losses from illegal Russian war tactics have been much greater, further amplifying the unjustness behind granting amnesty. Pohl ended the discussion by highlighting that loss on both sides of the war has to be viewed as upsetting, as no matter what, a human life should not be taken for such an egregious and unnecessary conflict.
In between panels, artist Vitalia Deriabina displayed her artwork around the room and gave a brief overview of their style, Petrykivka, a traditional Ukrainian art form. According to Derbina, Petrykivka is an “art of free people,” and has been viewed as a symbol of hope throughout the war. She shared that individuals sometimes feel tired of discussing the war, as it can be an overwhelmingly heavy topic, so she has used her art to open up discussion in a lighter form.
The second panel, “Advocacy Efforts Abroad: Diaspora and International Organizations’ Voices,” featured Marianna Tretiak, who helped start the national advocacy program within the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America and is now a National Advocacy Chair. The panel also featured Aleksandr “Sashko” Krapivkin, Associate Director of Community Engagement at Nova Ukraine and Board Member at the American Coalition for Ukraine as well as returning panelist Vitalina Shevchenko.
Tretiak discussed how she has gotten involved with advocating for specific policies with U.S. state legislators and how the ACU constantly has to choose which pieces of legislation are deemed most important, which can sometimes feel like a difficult and unfair task. She said, “If you prioritize everything, you prioritize nothing. We try to for our summits and for advocacy in general, decide, this is our top line task and then everything else, we have to focus on one thing.” Tretiak also highlighted the importance of advocacy among both Republicans and Democrats, arguing that this issue is larger than partisanship.
Many students attended the event to show support for the Vassar Alliance for Ukraine and learn more about the conflict itself. When asked what she thought about the event, Brynne Mershon ’27 commented, “I think it’s having the opportunity to…make [myself] more and more aware of not just what is going on but the historical and sociopolitical and all the implications of what is going on.” Additionally, Alyssa Smith ’28 said, “It was really inspiring to see the youth perspective from Vitalina Shevchenko and how she has been working with the U.N. and other organizations to actively help people.”
When asked about what Vassar College students can do to support our peers who may be impacted by this conflict and support Ukraine as a whole, Nikolova stated, “The most important thing is to stay properly informed…and reach out to your peers as they are the ones who can tell you how to best support them.” Shevchenko said that small actions, such as “So I would absolutely suggest, inspire. As we did say, it can be as small as putting on [Ukrainian] music at the bar.” She continued, “Your legislator really wants to hear from you, and the voice of the constituent more than anyone else. In-person meetings with constituents help sway legislators more than any other tool if you want to convince somebody of something.”