Kateryna Leliukh spent her 26th birthday in quarantine at a hotel in northern Taiwan on Thursday, a country where before her arrival a few days ago she did not know a single person.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she is now about to embark on academic studies in Taiwan.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2017, Leliukh worked in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, until Russia invaded on Feb. 24, drastically changing her life.
Photo: CNA
Leliukh left Kyiv early last month for the west of the country. She eventually crossed the border and arrived in Warsaw, Poland, where she stayed with a friend and began thinking about her next move.
“I was lost,” Leliukh said on Friday regarding her situation after the invasion.
After some consideration, she decided to return to school and pursue a master’s degree.
It was at that time a university professor she knows sent her a link to a scholarship program organized by Academia Sinica.
“My feeling told me I should go to Taiwan,” Leliukh said. “I just wanted to live in a country that completely shares Ukrainian ideals and ideas.”
Leliukh said she was also impressed by the COVID-19 research Academia Sinica has undertaken.
It is a “great honor” to go to an institute that is “fighting with such a great world problem,” she said.
Leliukh is one of 12 Ukrainians selected for a program launched by the institute on March 16, offering scholarships to “Ukrainian scholars and students to continue their research and education in Taiwan during this time of hardship,” the institute said.
The intent is to help remove young people from the conflict as quickly as possible and support their academic ambitions in Taiwan, Meng Tzu-ching (孟子青), director of Academia Sinica’s Department of International Affairs, said on Friday.
The 12 Ukrainians selected for scholarships arrived in Taiwan on Sunday last week, and are to spend the coming months exploring their research topics under the guidance of an adviser from the institute, Meng said.
The selected candidates stood out from 153 other applicants through their strong portfolios and academic research potential, Meng said, adding that the program aims to pave the way for them to pursue a degree or possibly a career in Taiwan.
Academia Sinica also plans to help an additional 15 Ukrainian academics continue their research in Taiwan under the same program, funded in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, he said.
For Maxim Malyi, another of the 12 accepted to the program, it offered him an opportunity to continue his academic work after his doctorate studies in China were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think there is no chance for me to be there right now, even though there is a war in [my] country,” Malyi said, adding that the Chinese government has closed its borders to foreign nationals since the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020.
The 26-year-old student, who specializes in wind power engineering, also yearned to visit Taiwan and explore career opportunities.
“I study renewable energy, and it is a growing field here,” he said of Taiwan. “When considering some career development, it is [a] very good place to go.”
Malyi said he intends to find a research project to join in the next few months.
“I think it can be related to energy storage systems... I’m still exploring the options available here,” he said.
Viktoriia Hlushchenko, a graduate student from Kyiv studying marketing, said she looks forward to studying and learning things in Taiwan that can be applied to Ukraine’s recovery after the war is over.
Hlushchenko also learned of the Academia Sinica program from a professor at her university.
The 22-year-old also had an opportunity to go to Canada, but she opted for Taiwan because she said she thought Asia had more promising opportunities.
Asked if Ukrainians had changed their perceptions of Taiwan and China after the Russian invasion, Hlushchenko said that Ukrainians were “very disappointed” about China’s position on the war, adding that Taiwan’s support for Ukraine, including a solidarity event in Taipei last weekend, had been shared on social media and was seen by many Ukrainians.
China’s “unclear” position makes it seem as if it is supportive of Russia, Malyi said.
“Taiwan is supporting Ukraine. So I think people will reconsider the relationship with these countries,” she said.
For Leliukh, despite spending her 26th birthday alone in a quarantine hotel room in Taiwan on Thursday, she felt anything but alone.
The hotel presented her with a cake, and her hosts from Academia Sinica said they would celebrate with all the students after their quarantine ends, she said.
Leliukh also organized a charity fundraiser on social media and received 5,000 Ukrainian hryvnia (US$169.62) to donate to the Come Back Alive Foundation that supports the armed forces in Ukraine.
“I was happy that both Taiwan and Ukraine people made my 26th birthday so nice,” she said.
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS