Last week I had the great opportunity to attend a Young Security Conference (YSC) in Munich, as a listener and as a simultaneous interpreter at one of the program items on Ukraine. The YSC is an annual conference that brings together young intellectuals with experts on European foreign policy and security issues. I think it’s very good that the young people deal with important issues, ask themselves difficult questions and seek answers from experienced experts.
The topics were varied, from nuclear weapons to NATO to post-war Ukraine. The Ukraine panel was called “Post-War Ukraine: What post-war society are Ukrainians fighting for?” What post-war society are Ukrainians fighting for? A good friend here in Munich is one of the organizers of the conference. He suggested me to translate the Ukrainian parliamentarian Mustafa Dzhemilev into English. That was a great honor for me. Dzhemilev is one of the moral leaders of the Crimean Tatar people and, as a human rights activist, was a victim of political persecution for many years. I’ve been fascinated by him ever since I studied foreign languages in Crimea.
At a time when ChatGPT can pass the Bavarian Abitur, the question arises as to what exactly young people should learn in school and university. In my opinion, these are precisely these timeless values that people like Mustafa Dzhemilev and other human rights defenders and activists defend. No artificial intelligence can do that.
It’s not easy to talk about post-war Ukraine when our homes, hospitals and schools are constantly being bombed, Dzhemilev said in his welcome speech. People are dying every day, including young children, so we need defense solutions first. I agree with that.
For the past three days, my hometown of Kiev has been bombed regularly. Every morning is the same for me. I read in the media how many missiles or drones were launched, how many were repelled, how many people died. Then I try to get my husband on the phone to make sure he’s okay. But he often sleeps in the morning because he spent another difficult night in the bunker.
Mustafa Dzhemilev, Ukrainian politician, human rights activist and representative of the Crimean Tatars.
(Photo: ADEM ALTAN/picture alliance/dpa)
Mustafa Dzhemilev expressed his gratitude for the support from Germany and the other nations standing by Ukraine. This time the help is much greater than in 2014, when Russia started the war by annexing Crimea. Unfortunately, Ukraine has no choice but to continue fighting, Russia wants to destroy Ukraine, no matter what negotiating partners might propose.
Back on the subject of post-war Ukraine and interaction with Europe, Dzhemilev sounds quite optimistic. So he is convinced that Russia will disintegrate and Ukraine will become part of the EU and NATO. I see it the same way: Ukraine fights for Euro-Atlantic values and belongs to the European family. I sincerely wish to see this in practice.
Emiliia Dieniezhna, 34, fled from Kiev to Pullach near Munich with her then four-year-old daughter Ewa. She works voluntarily for the non-governmental organization NAKO, which aims to fight corruption in Ukraine. She also teaches German to Ukrainian refugee children. Once a week she writes a column for the SZ about her view from Munich on the events in her home country.