On March 11, 2022, the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University held a teleconference “Online Solidarity Meeting with Ukrainian Students”, which was attended by students from UCU and foreign academic communities. In total, about 400 students from Europe, North America and Africa joined the two-hour online event. During the teleconference, UCU students had the opportunity to briefly talk about how they are experiencing the ongoing Russian military aggression, how the war has changed their lives and what they are doing now. On the other hand, foreign students, participating in the meeting, expressed their solidarity and support in such a difficult time to their peers from Ukraine.

Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Director of the IES and moderator of the event, noted that “UCU students are accustomed to contacting international partners in peacetime. And obviously, during the war, students in Ukraine needed the support of their friends abroad. At the same time, for foreign students, it was a chance to learn first-hand what is happening in Ukraine, how our students react and act in the current situation. "

Maria Stroich, a first-year student of the Ethics-Politics-Economics program at the Faculty of Social Sciences, shared her own experiences and emotions. She spoke about the grief and pain that Ukrainians experience every day because of the horrors of war.

Andriana Gamar, a second-year student of the Ethics-Politics-Economics program at the Faculty of Social Sciences, said that despite the war and difficult emotional state, UCU students are actively involved in volunteering. She showed how to join the effective assistance to Ukrainians from abroad.

Yevhen Andrusevych, a first-year student of the Ethics-Politics-Economics program at the Faculty of Social Sciences, spoke about which films foreigners should watch in order to better understand the events that took place during the Ukraine's independence. He also shared links to sources from which you can get reliable information about the war.

The meeting was held in a warm atmosphere. Most of the participants expressed their sincere support in prayer and solidarity with Ukrainian students and the entire Ukrainian people.