In a special Scotland’s Future podcast dedicated to the war in Ukraine, we hear from those most affected by the Russian invasion, as well as from academics who have been closely monitoring the impact of the war on the country, its people and its economy, as well as examining the role of the media and particularly social media in the conflict.

Host Professor Stephen Gethins talks to St Andrews International Business student Diana Surzhyk from Kyiv in Ukraine, about the human impact of prolonged Russian aggression on her country, her family and friends and her views on Ukraine’s future.

The podcast also hears from British Academy Research Fellow Dr Taras Fedirko, from the University of St Andrews School of Philosophy, Anthropological and Film Studies, who was carrying out research in his homeland prior to the invasion.

Also contributing to the podcast are world-renowned military strategist Professor Phillips O’Brien, who has been charting the war and Russia’s tactics since the start of the invasion and now has over 100,000 Twitter followers, as well as Dr Alice König from the school of Classics, who runs the University’s Visualising War and Peace project.

In the first Scotland’s Future podcast to be launched, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Mapstone talks about the importance of productive, responsible debate and the building of better communication skills, particularly the ability to listen, understand and consider beliefs that may not chime with your own. The Principal states that by getting involved in running projects supported by Scotland’s Future funding, students and staff are being given an opportunity to come up with ideas and work together, “We want to encourage anyone who feels there is a live issue to be brought forward, to do so.”

“We are particularly inflecting this debate from the perspective of Scotland’s Future; so many of the issues that are being raised are obviously issues that are broader than just Scotland but they allow a crucially shaping influence in relation to the kind of future Scotland experiences.”

Some of the projects to receive the green-light in the first funding round focus on climate justice and climate change, the importance of responsible debate, the role of universities and the future of Higher Education, as well as ideas of sovereignty and nationalism.

“If we can provide a forum in which these issues and ideas can be richly explored as a University, that is exactly what we should be doing,” added Professor Mapstone.