Ukrainian migration and diaspora engagement: Reconstruction and return scenarios

About the event

Four years into Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, over 4.3 million Ukrainians live under temporary protection across Europe. More than 64,000 Ukrainians currently reside in Denmark, mainly women and children who have fled the war, but also an established group of Ukrainians who arrived before 2022. Their diaspora engagement in response to the war is extensive, diversified, and sustained over time, yet the future remains uncertain. What visions do they have for when the war ends?    

This joint DIIS-DRC seminar discusses some of the urgent questions that arise as the war goes on: how do Ukrainian diaspora actors in Denmark mobilise in response to it? What are the likely return and mobility scenarios, and what are the implications for future reconstruction and development of Ukraine?

Presenting new research on Ukrainian diaspora engagement and displacement, the seminar brings together researchers, members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Denmark and NGO representatives. Join us for an afternoon of knowledge-sharing and debate on diaspora engagement and Denmark’s role in Ukraine and the country’s long-term recovery.

Speakers

Olga Tokariuk is a journalist and analyst based in London. She is an Academy Associate at Chatham House’s Ukraine Forum and a non-resident fellow at CEPA - Centre for European Policy Analysis. Her research topics are Russian aggression against Ukraine, displacement and hybrid warfare, including state-sponsored information operations. Olga’s is a former fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. Her work and commentary have been featured in The Guardian, BBC, SkyNews, ABC Australia, TIME, The Washington Post, NPR and other international media.

Adrien Bory is Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Global Diaspora Advisor and Head of DEMAC – Diaspora Emergency Action & Coordination. He specialises in diaspora engagement in fragile and conflict-affected contexts and leads DRC’s global work with diaspora communities. DRC has been supporting the Ukrainian humanitarian efforts since 2022 in Denmark and globally.

Andrii Kuzmyn is a Ukrainian-born finance and international business professional turned humanitarian leader. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Chairman of the Association of Ukrainians in Denmark, strengthening diaspora engagement and cultural cooperation. With a solid foundation in finance, international business, analytics, and project management, he co-founded and now leads Bevar Ukraine, which has become a critical hub for Ukrainian-led humanitarian aid, refugee integration, mental health programs, youth initiatives, and reconstruction efforts in both Denmark and Ukraine.

Julia Zaitseva  is a historian and migration scholar from Ukraine. She is currently a PhD fellow at VIVE (The Danish Center for Social Science Research) and University of Copenhagen, Center of Advanced Migration Studies (AMIS), where she is involved in the research project "Re-Gendering" about gendered migration of Ukrainians to Denmark. She is a member of Ukrainian Dialogues advocacy group in Copenhagen. 

Mads Ted Drud-Jensen is a sociologist and senior consultant in DRC Integration. He has been involved in qualitative studies about the wellbeing of Ukrainian refugees in Denmark and their perspectives on the future. He has also provided extensive counselling and training of professionals and municipalities about the reception and integration of Ukrainian refugees in Denmark.

Nauja Kleist is a Senior Researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Her research focuses on the links between mobility, belonging, and socio-political engagement. Nauja is an expert in diaspora engagement in development and humanitarianism, with longitudinal research on Somali diaspora groups. Other research concerns hope, uncertainty and future-making, climate change, and the role of gender, family relations, and belonging.

Ninna Nyberg Sørensen is a Senior Researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Her work examines the intersections of migration, conflict, and development, and she is one of the pioneers in diaspora engagement research. She explores the local and international dynamics shaping forced and voluntary migration, regulatory responses, and the impacts of migration on communities and states in the Global South.

Ida Marie Savio Vammen is a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Her ethnographic research examines the impacts of EU externalization in West Africa, focusing on how restrictive border policies shape the daily lives, aspirations, and decision-making of migrants and their families. She has also conducted several policy studies on diaspora engagement.  

Agenda

Introduction – Adrien Bory, Global Diaspora Advisor, DRC 

Launch of DIIS Policy Briefs:

• Forced displacement from Ukraine: The potential role of migration in Ukraine’s future reconstruction, Ninna Nyberg Sørensen
• Resilient action in wartime: Diaspora engagement by Ukrainians in Denmark, Nauja Kleist

Presentation by Olga Tokariuk:

• A blessing turned into a curse? Temporary protection and the future of Ukrainian refugees in Europe

A roundtable discussion with:

• Andrii Kuzmyn – General Director, Bevar Ukraine
• Julia Zaitseva -  Ukrainian historian and Migration Scholar
• Mads Ted Drud-Jensen - Senior Consultant, DRC Integration
• Moderator: Ida Marie Savio Vammen - Senior Researcher, DIIS

The event closes with Q&A, networking, and refreshments.