German political scientist Andreas Umland belongs to a small group of Western experts who know Ukraine not from academic publications or short business trips. Fluent in Ukrainian, he has lived and worked in Kyiv for many years and chose to remain there even after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Today, he combines his work as an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), an expert at the newly established European Policy Institute of Kyiv (EPIK), and an associate professor of political science at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Thanks to his long-standing experience in Ukraine and his extensive research on Russian imperialism, Umland’s assessments combine a deep understanding of Ukrainian realities with a broader perspective on developments inside Russia and the evolution of European security policy.
Ukrinform’s correspondent in Germany spoke with Andreas Umland about the prospects for ending the war, the risks of renewed Russian aggression, and the possible consequences of the war for Russia itself, including the prospect of the Russian Federation’s disintegration. The conversation also touched on Ukraine’s path toward EU membership, the idea of creating a European Defence Union, and the role Ukraine could play in the future security architecture of the continent.
