A conversation with citizens of Dubno, Ukraine, three years after the Russian invasion

By Stephen Norris, Guest Columnist

On Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, residents of Dubno, Ukraine awoke to an air raid alert. Classes were suspended and most of the city’s citizens headed to bomb shelters. This is how Oxford’s Sister City commemorated the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Because of the Sister City partnership, Oxford Mayor Bill Snavely was able to put me in touch with the city’s mayor, Vasyl Antoniuk; Mykola Mandziuk, the head of Dubno’s Community Foundation, Doborbut; and Oleksandrina Zinchenko, a professor at the local Pedagogical College. Mandziuk also works at the Dubno Castle, the most significant historical site in the city of approximately 37,000 located on the Ikva River in the northwest of the country.

I’ll be sharing what they had to say through email conversations about Dubno and the war in two installments, edited for concision. This week, I’m focusing on Antoniuk’s responses.

This is the second installment of my email conversations with them, edited for concision. This week, I’m focusing on Mandziuk and Zinchenko’s responses.

Stephen Norris (SN): What is your favorite part of Dubno? What makes the city unique?

Mykola Mandziuk (MM): Thank you very much for your interest in Dubno as a sister city to Oxford. This is very important for us Ukrainians, especially today, on the day when Ukrainian society remembers that a full-scale war has been going on for three years. Most people are used to sirens and alarms, but the greatest pity is for the children, whose childhood moments will be associated with the war.

But despite the war, life in the city continues, children study, organizations and enterprises work. All this is a second front that provides the economy and guarantees income for the city's residents. This is important, because many community residents constantly donate to the needs of the army.

As for me, I work at Dubno Castle and deal with issues of the development of international projects and programs, as well as the development of tourism in the region. The castle is a place of strength for me, where I work, relax and am filled with energy. Dubno Castle is interesting because it was built in 1492. The city itself was founded in 1100, and we have already held a 925th anniversary celebration this year.  The city is also interesting in my kind because one of the oldest festivals of Independent Ukraine was started here, a rock festival held annually from 1991 until 2022 when the full-scale war began.

Oleksandrina Zinchenko (OZ): There are many parts of Dubno our people like. One of them is the center of Dubno. Our town is really unique. The reason for this is the combination of present and past almost everywhere. Dubno castle, which you can see in the town’s center, is one of the best preserved fortresses of Ukraine founded in the 15th century. 

SN: Oleksandrina, how has the war affected teaching at the Pedagogical College?

OZ: The war has affected the whole country. Dubno is not an exception. Many people left their native town seeking refuge in other countries. A lot of people from the east of Ukraine were displaced and found shelter in our town. Some of them even live in our hostel. Our college has also been affected by the war. At the beginning of the war we provided only distant learning. Later on we began practicing blended learning. The purpose is obvious: to provide secure and quality education.

SN: Mykola, how else has the war specifically affected the city and your work at the Community Foundation?

MM: With the beginning of a full-scale war, our Community Foundation was actively engaged in assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs). People sought salvation in the city of Dubno, fleeing from the war. Many lost everything: jobs, housing, property. IDP children went through the adaptation process faster, but it was difficult for adults to start all over again.

Therefore, our charitable organization provided psychological and humanitarian assistance to IDPs in 2022 and 2023. Humanitarian assistance was needed to support people who had lost their means of livelihood, and psychological assistance contributed to a return to active life in a new community. In the first two years of the full-scale war, the city of Dubno hosted 5-7,000 IDPs.

SN: What projects are you planning for 2025?

MM: For 2025, we are planning several initiatives. First, reconstruction and development — significant efforts to rebuild infrastructure and the community at large are on the horizon. Second, expand our youth and social programs, specifically through a project aimed at education, mental health, and community improvement. Third, attempting to preserve Dubno’s identity — whether through cultural programs, preserving local history or something that keeps Dubno’s spirit alive despite the war.

OZ: Our students’ first response to the war was quite natural: fear, puzzlement, despair. However, now they are ready to continue getting education, gaining experience, volunteering and hope for a better future.

SN: How has the war affected you personally? What do you think the future will hold?

MM: I personally feel the impact of the war every day. Many of my friends and acquaintances are fighting on the front lines. Last week, my colleague, with whom I work in the castle, said goodbye to his brother who died in the war. I think that there is no family in Ukraine now that has not felt the war’s consequences.

I feel saddest for the children who live in these realities of life. It is difficult to watch their emotions when the air raid siren sounds. They know that every siren is accompanied by destruction and by casualties among civilians somewhere in Ukraine. I want them to have a different childhood and a happy future.

But I believe that this sacrifice is not in vain, that Ukraine will be able to survive and maintain Independence. All this is thanks to the international community, partners and allies, who cannot allow impunity to develop, violations of international law and the right of Ukrainians to be independent.

SN: What else would you like Oxford readers to know about the war or about Dubno?

OZ: Dubno is a town of nice and hospitable people, a town where history is combined with the present, a town with ancient traditions and culture, and a town with a unique atmosphere. We do our best to make it even better.

MM: This war is not only about Ukraine. It is a struggle for values. Ukraine is fighting for its freedom, independence and right to exist. Russia seeks to prove that the Ukrainian people do not exist, just as there are no levers of influence on its aggression.

Historical events are currently taking place in Ukraine that will affect European and global security in the long term.

Europe needs Ukraine as a shield. We have the largest army on the continent. We are the only ones with an army that knows how to contain Russia. We are the only ones with an army that can wage a modern high-tech war.

Ukraine needs Europe as a rearguard. As a source of financial assistance, weapons, technology, investment and political and moral support. We are destined to be together. Ukraine is definitely not Russia, which is what we are fighting for.

The Ukrainian diaspora also actively helps and cheers for a bright future for Ukraine. We also have a lot of support from abroad from international institutions and organizations. The city of Dubno, for example, has a partner city of Oxford. I am personally very proud that there are Americans who, at such a difficult time for Ukraine, cheer for its fate and support our freedom. 

Guest columnist Stephen Norris is Walter Havighurst Professor of History and Director of the Havighurst Center for East European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Miami University.