Book Presentation — Looking at Women Looking at War
Chairman of the EU Awareness Centre, Ambassador David Dondua, attended a book presentation, “Looking at Women Looking at War,” a powerful collection of testimonies by Ukrainian women documenting their experiences during Russia’s full-scale invasion. The event was organised by the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe in Vienna.
The book was initiated by the distinguished Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, who was fatally wounded in a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk in June 2023. Fully aware that writers, activists, and cultural figures were direct targets of Russian repression, Amelina dedicated her final years to protecting and promoting Ukrainian culture. She founded a literature festival in the frontline town of New York, Donetsk region, and worked to ensure that Ukrainian voices would not be silenced again.
After her death, her unfinished manuscript was completed with the support of colleagues and friends. The event in Vienna featured Sasha Dovzhyk, Head of INDEX in Lviv, and Juri Durkot, journalist and translator from Lviv, in conversation with Sebastian Schäffer, Director of IDM.
The discussion underscored the crucial role of memory, documentation, and cultural resilience during war. For the EU Awareness Centre, participation in this event reflects our commitment to supporting Ukrainian voices, defending truth, and confronting the destructive force of Russian hybrid and military aggression across the region.
