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The Ivan Franko National University in Lviv (archive photo): »I can't use a weapon, but I can translate and interpret«
Photo: Markiyan Lyseiko / Ukrinform / IMAGO
SPIEGEL
: Ms. Paslawska, Ukraine has been in a state of war since Thursday.
Can normal teaching take place in such a situation?
Paslawska
: My lessons took place, because of Corona the course was online anyway.
I wanted to see my students that day.
I wanted to reassure her.
You have behaved very bravely.
But it's hard to concentrate if you don't know what's going to happen next.
SPIEGEL
: What was different in your class on Thursday?
Paslawska
: I usually teach in German, but on Thursday I exceptionally spoke Ukrainian.
I greeted my students and said I was happy to see them healthy.
And I told them that I'm terribly sorry that we couldn't protect them as a young generation and prevent this war.
SPIEGEL
: And then you switched to normal stuff?
Paslawska
: Yes, I wanted to distract her.
What else can I do right now?
I gave the students the number for the university's psychological service.
And my cell phone number.
You can call me anytime.
I also asked my colleagues at the chair that we stay in touch at all times.
SPIEGEL
: How surprised were you by the events of Wednesday night?
Paslawska
: Surprised is to say the least.
I'm shocked.
I am depressed.
I am afraid for my students and my daughter and the people around me.
SPIEGEL
: And you don't worry about yourself?
Paslawska
: I'm 58 years old and I've seen a lot in my life.
I experienced the beginning of the war eight years ago and the Soviet times.
I've seen how you can morally destroy a man in a day.
I know how a totalitarian system works.
And now I see history repeating itself with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
I cannot imagine that Russian intellectuals would believe this propaganda.
When I read the Russian newspapers, there are so many lies.
SPIEGEL:
Did you hear anything about the first acts of war that night?
Paslawska
: I don't know why, but I woke up at five o'clock on Thursday morning and watched the news.
And that's when I found out that we're being bombed, that is, military installations throughout Ukraine.
There were explosions about 80 kilometers from us, but I didn't hear it myself.
SPIEGEL
: Your students all speak German and are probably international or European in character.
How do these young people see Germany and Europe and what kind of support would they like?
Paslawska
: We maintain very reliable partnerships through the university, for example with the DAAD in Germany, and we have contact with all sorts of European countries through the EU's Erasmus program.
By Thursday afternoon I had already received around ten e-mails, for example from Germany, Austria and Poland.
That was sometimes very touching news.
A professor from Poland offered me her two-room apartment in case I want to leave Ukraine.
SPIEGEL
: The European partners haven't been there for a while.
The DAAD, for example, brought all of its lecturers from the Ukraine back to Germany.
Do you or the students feel abandoned?
Paslawska:
I can understand when someone feels let down.
In my opinion, the problem is German politics.
She has delayed a decision on Nord Stream 2 for as long as possible and does not want to supply us with weapons.
Instead, they want to send us support to set up hospitals.
That shows that the Germans firmly believe that Ukrainians will be killed or at least injured in this war, but they don't want to actively prevent that.
SPIEGEL
: What kind of support would you like?
Paslawska
: I'm not an expert in this field, I'm a university teacher.
On the one hand, we need moral support now.
But on the other hand, of course, the first thing that needs to be protected is the airspace over Ukraine, and we need weapons.
Unfortunately, Putin does not understand any other language.
We expect something more than words from the world in the current situation.
Not only because we are actually being bombed, but also because Ukraine is now the border between war and peace in Europe.
It is quite possible that the war will not stop here, but will move on.
Whoever supports us also protects the rest of Europe.
»I can't use a weapon, but I can translate and interpret«
SPIEGEL
: Academic operations have nothing to do with weapons.
How could the DAAD or the partner universities support you in this situation?
Paslawska
: The most important thing is that we don't continue to be bombed, that we are safe in our homes, that we can buy groceries.
Then the university can continue.
If the situation is stable, professors could support us with lectures, for example.
By making it clear at the international level that Ukraine was attacked in a totally unexpected and totally undeserved way.
SPIEGEL
: Are you also preparing for worse scenarios?
Paslawska:
At the university, the cellars were already being prepared as a place of refuge.
And I also told my friends and acquaintances that I have a basement and that they can come to me in case the population is also bombed.
SPIEGEL
: Does that mean you want to stay in Lviv?
Paslawska
: Yes, it's hard for me to imagine leaving my home.
In an emergency, I am also prepared to fight with the means at my disposal.
I can't use a weapon, but I can translate and interpret.