New Eastern Europe Magazine April-May 2020 Vorige editie

This issue was sent to print at a time when the majority of the global community is faced with a new reality and a challenge on how to stop the spread of the COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus. As worried as we all are about the course and consequences of this pandemic, we can say one thing: we are not in it alone. The virus knows no borders and affects everybody. However, together we will manage to overcome it and recover from the damage.

The same unfortunately cannot be said about the war in Donbas. There, Ukraine is almost alone, which has been the case for the last six years. Therefore, in this spirit of broader human solidarity that we are now experiencing in face of a global humanitarian crisis, we would like you to also reflect on the situation in Donbas. Our authors point to the high costs of the war that the impoverished Ukrainian state continues to face and manage; discuss what Europe can and should do to help; as well as analyse the policies of the new Ukrainian authorities who came to power and received a huge social mandate for their declared commitment to peace.

In addition, we encourage you to read the section on the memory of the Second World War, as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the war’s end this year. Unfortunately, despite the passage of time we can see how history too can fall victim to truth and confirmed facts. Vladimir Putin, whose rule over Russia we can now expect to last until 2036, has clearly showed his intention to rewrite the historical narrative, a dangerous tactic indeed. The same, however, can be said about politicians in other states who for their own political gains are trying to revise the past.