Europe needs a free Ukraine – DW – 10/17/2025

Karl Schlögel recently returned to Berlin from a visit the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Impressions of what the historian saw there are still fresh in his memory: In Lviv, Schlögel recalls, he experienced an air-raid alarm and had to spend several hours in an air-raid shelter. “They should go there and see it for themselves,” is his message to those who no longer want to hear about the war on Ukraine.

“They should see what it means for people there, that Europe is unable to stop the daily and nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities,” he told DW.

Lviv is about 75 km from the Polish border: This building in the city burned as a result of a Russian attack on the city on October 5Image: Lviv Regional Military Administration/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

One of the most preeminent experts on Eastern Europe, the German historian was among the first voices to warn of Vladimir Putin’s aggressive expansionist policies.

Schlögel believes that “without a free Ukraine, there can be no peace in Europe.”

This message, along with his distinguished body of work “as an archaeologist of modernity and a seismograph of social change” has earned him the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, reads the jury’s statement.

Schlögel was announced as the winner of the prize in July; the honor sparked a public discussion as to whether someone who calls for supporting Ukraine militarily should receive a peace award. Briefly letting off steam about the debate, Schlögel pensively concludes that “there will inevitably be a split running through the middle of Europe” over how long Europe should support Ukraine, as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion.

A leading expert on Eastern Europe

Schlögel’s fascination for Eastern Europe began when he first traveled to the Soviet Union in 1966 while still in school. Two years later, he experienced the Prague Spring first-hand.

His interest in Eastern Europe never waned. He received a doctorate based on a study of conflicts in Soviet Union labor organizations after the Stalin era. Then he spent periods of time in both Moscow and Leningrad. In 1984, his first book was published: “Moskau Lesen” (Reading Moscow) combines empirical historiography with personal experience.

The book contained the seeds of his unique writing style, which earned him the nickname of “scholar and flaneur.”

Schlögel believes history only comes alive in the places where it happened, through encounters with people, and that historians should never rely on archives alone.

His most important books since then include: “Moscow, 1937” (2012), “Ukraine: A Nation on the Borderland” (2018), “In Space we read time: On the History of Civilization and Geopolitics” (2016) and, most recently, “The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World” (2023).

Schlögel has published many works on Russia and the former Soviet UnionImage: DW

From 1990, Schlögel held the chair in East European History at the University of Konstanz. In 1995, he joined the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) as professor of Eastern European history. He remained there until he retired in 2013.

‘With Putin, you have to be prepared for anything’

Moscow, the former Soviet Union and Russia — these were the themes that defined Karl Schlögel’s work.

Shortly after Putin’s regime illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, the professor visited the country and refocused his research on Ukraine. “With Putin, you have to be prepared for anything,” he wrote back then. He still sees it that way today. Schlögel sees the constant provocations, such as drone flights over NATO territory, as a continuation of Putin’s expansionist policy — a demonstration of power without fear of any consequences.

In his interview with DW, Schlögel steers clear of making any predictions about the future. He rejects the idea that Russia is doomed to have an authoritarian regime forever: “Things can happen at any time that we cannot predict. Things have turned out differently than what the experts thought. Putin’s blitzkrieg didn’t work either.”

The real question, says Schlögel, is: How can Russia escape the curse of empire? What will remain after the empire has fallen?

He cites the examples of the US, a former empire that is experiencing a phase of uncertainty and realignment under President Trump. Though Schlögel does not believe this is the end of America, the days when the US was the leading culture and had a strong influence over the world, he says, are over.

Schlögel at a panel discussion as the recipient of the Gerda Henkel Prize, in 2024Image: Gerda Henkel Stiftung/Foto: Stephan Brendgen

Staying loyal to the Ukrainian cause

Schlögel believes that Ukrainians should not rely on Trump.

During the historian’s visit to Lviv, he was all the more impressed by the steadfastness of the people there, who want to show one thing above all else: That they will not bow down to the aggressor.

In his speech at the award ceremony, Schlögel will reiterate his support for defending a free and independent Ukraine. Even in times of fatigue and exhaustion caused by numerous other conflicts, he believes the world should stay loyal to the Ukrainian cause.

The Peace Prize is awarded annually by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association to a “personality who has made an outstanding contribution to the realization of the idea of peace, primarily through his or her activities in the fields of literature, science or art.” The award, and €25,000 prize money, will be presented at the end of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 19 at St. Paul’s Church.

Previous winners include American-Polish journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie and Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan.

This article was originally written in German.