We, the undersigned doctoral researchers of SCRIPTS, unequivocally condemn the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine. This unprovoked aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine is a violation of international law and a terrible human tragedy. As scholars, our duty does not simply end at intellectual truth. We are beholden to a moral truth that may call upon us to cross professional boundaries to uphold that which is morally and ethically correct. With the Putin regime’s aggression against the nation and people of Ukraine, the ethical lines are clearly drawn. There can be no equivocation, no doubt that the Putin regime is responsible for the deaths and suffering of Ukrainians and all people living in Ukraine as well as the violent repression and exploitation of Russians. We cannot take a detached, studiously neutral view of this. We cannot sit on the sidelines of history. We must condemn this murderous aggression with one voice: the voice of an international community of scholars. We must declare that we will neither overlook, nor legitimize this brutality. We stand with the people of Ukraine in their fight for survival. We stand with the people of Russia who oppose this war and the imperialist kleptocracy of the Putin regime. We stand with the people who are fleeing the war, including those who have faced difficulties crossing the border on the basis of race, gender, religion, or nationality. The invasion of Ukraine by the Putin regime represents a gross violation of international treaties, self-determination, and human rights. We call for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.

BGTS Doctoral Researchers:

Lukas Antoine
Kevin Axe
Robert Benson
Susan Bergner
Carolin Deuflhard
Adam Fastholm
Felix Garten
Greta Groß
Johanna Heß
Camille Kasavan
Tobias Klee
Thea Kirsch
Allison Koh
Nora Kürzdörfer
Martyna Linartas
Andrea D. Miranda Avilés
Rasmus Ollroge
Keith Prushankin
Tara Rai
Nieves Fernández Rodríguez
Maria Uttenthal
Jaša Veselinovič
Ana Werkstetter Caravaca
Lunting Wu
Sukayna Younger-Khan
Mikhail Zabotkin

The statement is supported by:

Prof. Dr. Tanja Börzel, Director of SCRIPTS
Prof. Dr. Michael Zürn, Director of SCRIPTS
Prof. Dr. Schirin Amir-Moazami, SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Gülay Çağlar, SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Mark Hallerberg, Ph.D., SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Macartan Humphreys, Ph.D., SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Steffen Mau, SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Francisco O. Ramirez, Professor of Education and (By courtesy) Sociology, Graduate School of Eduction, Stanford University; SCRIPTS Alumni Senior Visiting Fellow
Prof. Dr. Thomas Risse, Director of the Berlin International College of Research and Graduate Training (BIRT) at SCRIPTS
Prof Dr. Christian Volk, SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Prof. Dr. Florian Waldow, SCRIPTS Principal Investigator
Dr. Roberta Astolfi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Agnes Blome, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Rona Geffen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Alexander Kalgin, Senior Visiting Fellow
Dr. Cédric Koch, BGTS Alumni
Dr. Kriszta Kovács, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Silviya Lechner, Senior Visiting Fellow
Dr. Anne Menzel, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Sushmita Nath, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Janika Spannagel, Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Léa Tosold, Postdoctoral Researcher
Amélie Wurl, Doctoral Researcher
Johannes Scherzinger, Doctoral Researcher
Kaja Kreutz, SCRIPTS Central Management
Elisabeth Nöfer, SCRIPTS Central Management
Camila Acosta, Student Assistant
Lea Murru, Student Assistant