For several hundred years, Ukraine has endured Russian colonial domination, from Tsarist expansion to Soviet repression. Yet the colonial nature of this relationship, especially during the Soviet period, went largely unacknowledged for decades. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Mariam Naiem has dedicated her work to helping people understand the cultural and historical context of the war. She is a Ukrainian author of Afghan origin. As Mariam explains, understanding the present war requires seeing Ukraine not as a former Soviet republic attacked by its neighbor country Russia, but as a nation breaking free from a long history of imperial control.

Mariam reflects on how language shaped her awareness of colonialism, how the West often misreads Ukraine through outdated lenses, and how global inattention deepens the trauma of war. She also opens up about her own identity as a Ukrainian of Afghan origin and the challenges of being seen or not seen as Ukrainian. For Mariam, the strength to keep going is rooted not in revenge, but in love: love for her brother, for her friends, and for the vision of a free and independent Ukraine.

Resources
Connect with Mariam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariaaamnaiem/
Twitter: https://x.com/mariamposts
Website: https://mariam.space/about/

Mariam’s Book (French): https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2017265578?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_RJYHP16QY2CHNRBQ9EQH
Preorder in German: https://www.avant-verlag.de/comics/eine-kurze-geschichte-eines-langen-konflikts/#cc-m-product-9257663120
Preorder in English: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/809143/a-brief-history-of-a-long-war-by-mariam-naiem-illustrated-by-yulia-vus-and-ivan-kypibida/

Connect with Luzia Tschirky
Instagram: https://instagram.com/luziatschirky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luziatschirky/
Website: https://www.luziatschirky.ch/
Book: https://echtzeit.ch/buch/live-aus-der-ukraine