b'SURVIVING IN WAR CONDITIONSTHE ORDEALS OF AN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY IN UKRAINE. BY: SERHII KIURCHEVEDITORS NOTE: T he year 2022 began, as always, with many new ideas, tasks, plans for the Our goal at Seed World Europe future, and we were thinking about is to bring you, our readers, thehow we would celebrate the 90th anni-most relevant news, insight, andversary of our glorious universitythe perspective from across the globalTSATUin September 2022. But seed industry. Two months ago, Ialmost two months later, the war broke heard Dr. Serhii Kiurchev, doctor ofout. It is still hard to believe that this can technical sciences, professor, andhappen in today\'s world. I want to tell you rector of the Dmytro Motornyi Tavriaabout the terrible events in my hometown State Agrotechnological University(Melitopol), about the extraordinary deeds (TSATU) University in Melitopol,of ordinary people and about the steps taken Ukraine, speak in a webinar series.by the university.His personal account of trying toCOLLEGES AND FACULTIEScontinue his research programs and teaching despite war gaveThe university has five faculties and six a unique face and perspectivecolleges, geographically located in almost to the terrible situation unfoldingall agricultural cities of the Azov region in Ukraine. Since Ukraine is suchin southeastern Ukraine. In total, more a critical link in the global foodthan 7,000 students study at the universityDr. Serhii Kiurchev supply system, and since educatingcenter, who were forced to leave their homes tomorrows scientists is so vital toand are now scattered around the world and agricultural success and succession,have to study online. The occupiers have I reached out to Dr. Kiurchev toseized all academic buildings, laboratoriesized the relocation of 17 universities from ask if hed write an account of hisand agricultural lands of the universitythe occupied territories. Among them, three experiences for our magazine. Theand colleges. Our university is constantlyuniversities from the Zaporizhzhia region, following is that account, writteninvolved in activities to disseminate realfive universities from the Kherson region despite frequent power outagesinformation about the aggression againstand eight universities from the Luhansk and delivered to us despite nearour Ukrainian people. The entire worldand Donetsk regions. Together, 35,300 constant shelling. community should know how it really isstudents and 4,000 teachers work in these and understand what hell every Ukrainianeducational institutions. is going through right now, and at what costThe occupiers took away the official we are fighting for our freedom. documents of students, teachers, contracts with partners and the university archive. 24TH FEBRUARY 2022 From the very first days of the occupation, February 24, 2022 is the date that dividedall online content was blocked. All com-the lives of all Ukrainians into "before"puter equipment, multimedia equipment, and "after". Dreams, plans, and prospectslaboratory devices, agricultural machinery, for development are now in the past. Weand equipment and agricultural land were now have the red line that separates the pastseized. The homes of teachers and students from the present. Melitopol has always beenwho remained under occupation, are peri-considered a strategic city, the gateway toodically searched. Teaching and learning in the Crimea, and this played a sad role forthe Ukrainian educational institutions are the city in wartime. Melitopol was occu- prohibited for them, even online. pied on the first day of the war. On MayAfter seizing the building of TSATU, 27, 2022, the enemy occupied the universitythe occupiers destroyed the archive and buildings, and the occupation authoritiescollection of unique books written in the announced the creation of a pseudo-uni- Ukrainian language. Before the war, the versity - Melitopol State University.library\'s collection consisted of more than During the hostilities, the Ukraine400,000 sources and was the largest in the Ministry of Education and Science organ- Zaporizhzhia region. 14ISEED WORLD EUROPEIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'