Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)

Ukraine’s decentralisation reform has been vital to the country’s wartime resilience. Martial law has not dismantled the core achievements of decentralisation, but it does pose risks – particularly for local autonomy and ownership over the recovery process.

A man with an oar stands on a boat travelling through a flooded street.

From soil degradation and water contamination to ecosystem destruction and biodiversity loss, wars such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have serious and extensive consequences on nature that can last for generations and affect the health and livelihoods of entire populations.

In her new book ‘Das Phantom der alten Grenze am Zbruč’ [‘The Phantom of the Old Border at the Zbruč’], social geographer Sabine von Löwis explores a now almost forgotten border in Western Ukraine. She shows how border spaces from the past can re-emerge in a given situation or context. It’s about memory, future expectations, space and belonging.

This KonKoop In:Security Report explores how security is perceived, experienced, and enacted by ordinary citizens — and how the notion of ‘societal security’ in Eastern Europe has changed in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Kerstin Bischl speaks with Felix Herrmann from Discuss Data and Ivaylo Dinev from the KonKoop Datalab about objectives, chances and challenges that come with researching Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

On 24 Feburary 2022, Russia began the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Our online dossier gathers relevant information in the form of videos, podcast episodes, publications and assessments of our experts in the media.

Spotlight on Ukraine 18

Ukrainian Decentralisation under Martial Law: A Balancing Act

by Andrii Darkovich Maryna Rabinovych 17/09/2025

ZOiS Spotlight 16/2025

The Hidden Front Line: How War Damages the Natural World

by Rebecca Hirschfeld 10/09/2025

Meet the Author | Sabine von Löwis

ZOiS Forum

In Russia, repression is increasingly targeting identity rather than activism. Experts discuss how persecution, migration, and human rights work are changing in the context of authoritarian tendencies and global discourse.

when

25/09/2025 06.00 pm 07.30 pm

where

Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)
Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Str. 60
10117 Berlin

Panel discussion

In cooperation with the BBAW, the event Writing (Hi)Stories brings literature and research into dialogue. The point of departure is Sofi Oksanen’s novel Purge. Together with the Finnish-Estonian writer, we will discuss how memories and identity are shaped and transmitted between generations in Estonia.

when

01/10/2025 06.00 pm 07.30 pm

where

Leibniz-Saal der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Markgrafenstr. 38
10117 Berlin

The individual projects of ZOiS are currently divided into five research clusters.

New dekoder series

With a contribution on ‘Independence à la Ukraine’ by Andrii Portnov, the online medium dekoder is launching a new series with explainers on Ukraine in cooperation with ZOiS. In dekoders article series (‘Gnosen’), researchers write scientifically sound explanatory texts, which offer concise and easy-to-read insights into specific topics.

Funding Commitment 

The SCRIPTS Cluster of Excellence will enter its second phase in 2026. In this phase, the focus will be on the resilience of democratic social orders. ZOiS will contribute social science expertise on Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Roundtable Osteuropa is a podcast by the Centre for East European and International Studies. Scholars of ZOiS and their guests discuss their research of Eastern Europe. We consider events in politics and society, while also trying to shed light on lesser-known issues – with insights from sociology, political science, geography, social anthropology, literary studies and theology.

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