A Closer Look at the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict

Published 03/23/2023 in Scholar Travel Stipend

Written by Noreen Mohsin | 03/23/2023

The Milken Institute’s mission states that it helps “develop a blueprint for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next.” And the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is one of the most pressing issues in the world today.

From August 27th to September 4th of this year, I traveled to three European countries in great proximity to Ukraine – Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland. The actions by these countries showed true compassion - they’ve opened their homes and schools to refugees, and their clean energy sources to other countries.

August 27, 2022 – September 4th, 2022

Sweden
I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden first. In May ’22, Sweden publicly announced its plans to join NATO. It was a bold move for a country that has remained neutral during WW2 and the two centuries afterwards. Incredibly, the 2nd day I was in Stockholm (August 29th), I saw on the news that Sweden announced $50 million worth of additional military aid to Ukraine.

Beyond the government’s actions, however, through my trip I became privy to the smaller scale cultural impact, compassion, and acceptance from the Swedish citizens towards Ukraine. I was amazed when I saw countless government posters hanging up throughout the Stockholm center square, with the Swedish phrase Medmanskughet Inte Racism written on it, which means “Humanity, Not Racism.”

I was so impressed to see several stands serving Ukrainian food alongside Swedish. It felt like a compassionate and very accepting gesture from the food vendors who were in attendance.

Switzerland
The next stop on my journey was Switzerland, which I was particularly excited to learn more about given its recent dramatic shift from its decades long identity of neutrality, which also dates back to WW2. In early August, Switzerland adopted measures imposed by the EU (which Switzerland is not a part of) which banned buying, importing, or transporting gold and gold products in Russia.
As the first stop, my group visited Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We stayed in an Airbnb in the outskirts of Bern, and spent some time traveling around the area.

We learned that many Ukrainian refugees had been provided housing in publicly-built centers, one which we were able to view the outside of. From my own research I learned that ~63K Ukrainian refugees have been housed in Switzerland since the beginning of the war (Switzerland’s population is 8mm), and ~60K have been provided an S permit to live and work in the country for 1+ years. I found it incredible that the Swiss people were so welcoming in opening their doors.

We also met up with my family friend who lives in Zurich. He mentioned to me that his younger sister is currently enrolled in elementary school (the school year had just begun when I visited) and has seen an integration of Ukrainian students into her classroom. Switzerland’s policy is that even for foreigners, all children have a right to education.

Denmark
I was especially excited for the final leg of the journey because I knew about Denmark’s incredible response to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Roughly 2 weeks before I entered the country (August 11th), 26 nations and the EU met in Copenhagen and agreed to pledge 1.5B euros to Ukraine.

Our first destination to visit in Copenhagen was Copenhagen Business School. We felt it was especially important to understand the implications of the war on the school teaching some of the greatest minds in the city. It was the very first week of the fall semester, so we felt it was the perfect time to visit.

When we entered campus, we spoke to several students who explained to us that the school opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees. We learned that the Danish parliament actually passed a Special Act granting Ukrainian citizens a temporary residence permit in Denmark. Incredibly, a residence permit under the Special Act gives Ukrainian refugees the same rights as Danish students, i.e. they would not have to pay any application or tuition fees, and they would be able to apply for a grant to get a monthly financial aid. I was blown away because at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, all non-US citizens are denied financial aid regardless of what country they’ve come from. While talking to the students on campus we also learned that this semester, CBS has begun to offer several courses on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

The following day, my group took a tour of the center city of Copenhagen. One of the most fascinating things we learned was that Copenhagen has pledged to become the world’s first 100% carbon-neutral city by 2025. Throughout the city we noticed various clean energy sources (i.e. solar panels, seawater-based district heating and cooling system which can rid the city of 80,000 tons of CO2). Even more, 5 days before we entered the city (August 26th), Germany and Copenhagen signed a renewable energy partnership to produce green hydrogen that can be piped to Germany.

What’s almost more fascinating than this partnership is the reason for it. Upon the beginning of the war, energy prices in Germany began to skyrocket as Moscow reduced natural gas supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions against Russia. I was amazed to learn about the efforts that Denmark has taken in combatting the hostility demonstrated by Russia throughout this conflict.

Conclusion
As the Milken Family Foundation’s mission states, they “strive to discover and advance inventive, effective ways of helping people help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives.” I hope that the findings I observed throughout my trip, as listed above, can help educate those who are hoping to one day enter a position of political service to shape the decisions that our country makes in response to world events in a similar way to the countries I visited.

Posters throughout the Stockholm center square, with the Swedish phrase Medmanskughet Inte Racism written on it, which means “Humanity, Not Racism.”