Chemists in Ukraine revisited: Serhii Radio

Serhii Radio

Source: © Sam Kerr @ Début Art

Practical difficulties hinder experiments, but a new course looks to address future environmental challenges

People forget that the Russian invasion basically started in 2014. What’s happening today is a full-scale version of what was localised back then. After the university transferred to Vinnytsia, almost up until 2022, it felt like 2014 was just yesterday. And now it feels the same; the year has passed, but it still feels like the beginning of 2022, as if this full-scale invasion started yesterday. Psychologists can probably explain this feeling; it’s a complex one.

Scientific experiments are very restricted by blackouts. The schedules are such that we often have electricity for two hours with four-hour breaks in between, which is not very convenient. For instance, the schedule was pretty inconvenient at some point; the electricity was on between 12.00 and 14.00, and there was none between 08.00 and 12.00 or 14.00 and 18.00. Without a PC, internet and equipment, there’s not much you can do.