This spring, the Davis Center, the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard (HURI), and the Kyiv School of Economics are collaborating on an online series, "Kyiv Connection: Disciplinary Dialogues on Ukraine." The series will feature compelling and contemporary conversations across various disciplines, all from a Ukrainian perspective. Each session will feature a Ukrainian scholar in dialogue with an international counterpart, offering diverse viewpoints and rich insights.
This third discussion, "The Strategic Use of Violence Against Civilians," will feature Ivan Gomza, professor of Political Science at the Kyiv School of Economics, in conversation with Eugene Finkel, the Kenneth H. Keller Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University.
Three years ago, Russian soldiers had massacred civilians in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb they occupied in February 2022. Eugene Finkel and Ivan Gomza will discuss how the strategic use of violence against civilians can be squared with Russian rhetoric about Slavic brotherhood, historical unity, and liberation. They will also explore features of the Russian army that are put forth to explain the violence, from its social composition to operational features and a “metropole-colony” mindset.