War and Resilience: Unpacking the Dynamics of the Ukraine Conflict and Its Global Impact

This talk will provide an update on the latest developments in the Ukraine War which began with Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Beginning with a historical overview of Russian-Ukrainian relations since the collapse of the USSR, this talk will take participants on a deep dive into the changing dynamics of the war, the role of technology, and how the military landscape has shifted. Analyzing the devastating effects on civilians, the displacement of over three million Ukrainians, and the resilience of those caught in the conflict, we will investigate the social and political dimensions of the conflict. We will also pay particular attention to its religious dimensions, and particularly the role of the recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as an independent entity from Moscow by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2019, as a driver of the conflict and motivating factor for the Putin regime in…