On 19–20 March 2026, the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) hosted the inaugural seminar of the two-year Polish-German-Ukrainian project “Soft Power Under Heavy Fire: New dynamics of paradyplomacy among German, Polish and Ukrainian cities in wartime Europe (ORIG. „Miękka siła pod ciężkim ostrzałem: Nowa dynamika paradyplomacji niemieckich, polskich i ukraińskich miast w Europie czasu wojny”)
The project received funding in a special call for proposals by the Polish-German Foundation for Science (PNFN). Last year, 32 applications were submitted, with funding awarded to only 3 projects. Professor Jarosław Jańczak, Professor Tomasz Brańka, and Igor Ksenicz, PhD, represent the team from the AMU Faculty of Political Science and Journalism (WNPiD). Additionally, Prof. Hanna Smaliichuk (Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University) and Małgorzata Kocierz, MA (University of Wrocław), have joined the team on several-month-long scholarships, along with WNPiD students Anna Huk (International Relations) and Mikita Arynovich ( Public Governance). The German team consists of Prof. Susann Worschech, Mona Richter, MA, and Maria Vtorushyna, MA.
Source: AMU Faculty of Political Science and Journalism website
