President Zelenskyy’s visit to Oslo has put European security firmly in focus. Two Ukrainian academics who recently visited NMBU say preparedness goes far beyond military defence.
When Mariia Movchan offered her students a choice between online classes and extra seminars the following week, they unanimously chose the extra work. They wanted to meet in person.
For students at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, ordinary university life has become something of a luxury. After the pandemic came Russia's full-scale invasion, bringing disrupted teaching, air-raid alerts and long periods of online study.
Even when teaching takes place on campus, students and staff must be prepared to move to shelters when the air-raid warnings sound.
“I was so surprised by how much they want to study in the classrooms, despite the air-raid alerts,” says Movchan, a senior lecturer in international relations.
Movchan is one of two academics from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy who visited NMBU this October.
Together with Maksym Yakovlyev, Dean of the university's Faculty of International Relations and Governance, she met students and researchers to exchange perspectives on international relations, security and the possibilities for closer academic cooperation.
Preparedness beyond defence
Days after their visit, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and US representatives in Oslo. Their discussions about a possible path to peace also addressed Ukraine's future security and the implications for Europe.
Yakovlyev's message to Norway reflects a concern that extends beyond the outcome of any peace negotiations.
“Russia is your neighbour as well,” he says. “The only way is to get stronger in many respects, not only purely military.”
Per Martin Norheim-Martinsen, Dean of NMBU's Faculty of Landscape and Society and Professor of Societal Security and European Politics, also met with the Ukrainian academics during their visit.
Norheim-Martinsen edited the 2026 book Totalberedskap (Total Preparedness), which brings together research on food security, crisis management and Norway's civilian preparedness.
“The war in Ukraine shows how closely military security and society's basic needs are connected,” says Norheim-Martinsen.
“Keeping food supplies moving, institutions functioning and essential services running is also a matter of national security. And this doesn't end with a peace agreement. Whatever happens in the negotiations, Europe will be dealing with the consequences of this war for years to come. For Norway, preparedness has to be understood much more broadly than defence alone.”
Looking beyond Europe
Food security is one area where the consequences of the war extend far beyond Ukraine.
Yakovlyev points to the disruption of Ukrainian agricultural production and exports, which revealed how dependent other countries are on its grain supplies.
“We knew that Ukraine was a major agricultural producer, with a lot of exports. But many people only realised just how important Ukraine is to global food security after the invasion,” he explains.
Students' interests have also broadened beyond Europe and North America. Students are increasingly interested in Africa and Latin America, particularly in why some countries continue to maintain close relations with Russia.
“Why is there still trade between South Africa and Russia? Why don't they understand us?” says Yakovlyev, recalling questions raised by his students.
These questions are creating new demands on Ukrainian universities. Yakovlyev says they don't always have the regional expertise or language skills to respond to students' growing interests.
International academic cooperation offers opportunities to broaden that expertise. Despite the ongoing war, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy has recently welcomed visiting scholars from Indonesia and Brazil.
Learning from each other
The visit to NMBU is another such opportunity. Hosted by Kirsti Stuvøy, Professor of International Relations at NMBU's Department of International Environment and Development Studies, it builds on earlier digital meetings between researchers at the two universities.
“We have a good foundation for developing the collaboration the way we want,” says Stuvøy.
She points to a shared interest in how the changing security situation is reshaping international relations, and what researchers and students in Norway can learn from Ukraine's experience.
“The only way to learn is to have that dialogue going.”
During their stay, Yakovlyev and Movchan met NMBU's international relations researchers and students and contributed to the Global Order Coffee seminar series. Movchan also attended Stuvøy's course Feminist and Critical International Relations Theory.
“We don't really pay enough attention to gender in our teaching,” says Movchan. “I found the class fascinating, and it's something I think we should give more attention to.”
The visit was supported by Erasmus+ KA171 international mobility funding. Iben Andersen from NMBU's Department of Academic Affairs sees continued academic cooperation as particularly important while Ukrainian universities face the challenges of war.
“Ukrainian universities are continuing to teach, research and build international partnerships under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. It's important that they remain part of the international academic community. Funding like this allows us to explore concrete opportunities for cooperation that can benefit both institutions,” says Andersen.
Ideas for further cooperation include joint teaching and publications, co-supervision of PhD students and closer links between the universities' master's programmes. Some activities could begin online while the war continues.
Movchan hopes that the growing cooperation between the universities will eventually enable Norwegian students to experience academic life in Kyiv themselves.
“We would also love to welcome your students,” she says. “When the war ends.”