On 21 October 2026, a roundtable discussion entitled “Ukrainian Identity in Strategic Communication” was held in Cherkasy and at the Shevchenko National Reserve in Kaniv, Cherkasy Region.

The event was dedicated to presenting and discussing the findings of the international Erasmus+ Jean Monnet research project, “Challenges and Opportunities for EU Heritage Diplomacy in Ukraine”, with stakeholders. The project brought together researchers from 15 universities across 14 countries. More than 70 Ukrainian and international scholars, experts in cultural and public diplomacy, and representatives of academia attended the roundtable.

The programme began with a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to Taras Shevchenko. The roundtable was officially opened with welcoming addresses by Oleksandr Cherevko, President and Chair of the Academic Council of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy (BKNUC), and Lien Verpoest, Head of the international project and Professor at KU Leuven, Belgium. The event was moderated by Nataliia Zemziulina, Professor at BKNUC.

Two reports were presented to the participants. Professor Nataliia Chaban (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand), Head of the Strategic Communication Research Group, delivered a presentation covering three reports that summarise the findings of an analysis of publications on Ukrainian identity in international media, posts on this topic shared on the social media accounts of Ukrainian embassies, and interviews with Ukrainian and international experts in cultural diplomacy and heritage diplomacy.

Professor Svitlana Zhabotynska (Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, Ukraine), Co-Head of the Research Group, presented “Ukropedia”, an online search platform developed jointly by the two universities. It serves as a thematically organised library of annotated links to more than 3,500 popular English-language sources covering various aspects of Ukrainian national identity. “Ukropedia” is primarily intended for a broad international audience interested in learning more about Ukraine, its history, culture, national spirit, education, science, and other areas. Furthermore, the website’s resources may be valuable to professionals involved in strategic communication on Ukrainian heritage and identity, including diplomats, policymakers, representatives of the creative industries, and academics. Both the research findings and the “Ukropedia” search platform were highly praised during the discussions that followed the presentations.

The roundtable programme concluded with a meeting with media representatives and a guided tour of the Taras Shevchenko Museum.

The outcomes of the meeting highlighted the importance of international research cooperation, digital resources, and strategic communication in strengthening Ukrainian identity and promoting Ukraine’s national heritage worldwide.

Watch the report by Ildana TV and Radio Company for more coverage of the event:

Nataliia Zemziulina, Professor at the Educational-Scientific Institute of International Relations, History and Philosophy