February 20, 2024

By Carolyn Crowder

Dr. Oksana Nezhyvenko first spoke with the Mansfield community from a Polish hotel room on March 2, 2022, after she, her two-year-old daughter, and her parents fled the initial attack on Ukraine. In that First Take dialogue she shared how she and many other Ukrainians did not expect the invasion, and expressed pride in the swift organization of Ukrainians to protect their communities. Nezhyvenko also stated that eastern Ukraine was not as pro-Russian as some reported at the time, but rather the country was united against its enemy.

Two years later, Nezhyvenko will update us on Ukraine’s fight and the conditions in her home country in a virtual presentation on February 22 at 12 p.m. MST.

In a recent interview, Nezhyvenko said that if she could return to the start of the invasion, she’d tell herself that her daughter would survive and that Russians would not take her hometown, Kyiv. She also said she would prepare herself to “accept that the war may last your whole life.”

As of February 9, Ukraine has recaptured 54 percent of occupied territory while Russia still holds 18 percent of the country, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Ukraine reached minor territorial gains in 2023, but the frontlines have remained stable for almost a year. Since the initial attack, fighting and air strikes have produced nearly 22,000 civilian casualties, while 5.1 million people are internally displaced, and 6.2 million have fled Ukraine.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian populations climbed in December, and attacks that impacted energy infrastructure left millions in Ukraine without power amid harsh winter conditions. More than 3.3 million people who live along the front line require emergency assistance as of February 12, as access to clean water, food, and adequate shelter is limited.

Researcher and political analyst Mykola Bielieskov wrote in the Atlantic Council that as US and EU aid commitments are up against political obstacles, and Ukrainian efforts to expand military equipment have fallen behind schedule, concerns regarding casualty rates and potential manpower shortages in this long war have grown.

Nezhyvenko recently told us that if she could share one message with our community, it would be that “we are resilient, we are solid in our idea of freedom, and we need weapons.” In the dialogue, she will speak to her experience of relocation to France, how she’s learned to live under new conditions while visiting Kyiv, and how she continues instruction at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

She will also discuss why she believes the US is Ukraine’s strategic partner, how our politics impact the country, and ways that individuals can support Ukraine’s fight.

Register to attend Nezhyvenko's upcoming Mansfield Dialogue “Ukraine’s Fight: Reflections Two Years On,” held via Zoom on Thursday, February 22 at 12 p.m. MST.