Conflict & Security

On 5 November 2025, we hosted the presentation of an outstanding book that sheds light on the history, culture, and current realities of the indigenous people of Crimea. The event featured a moving reading by author and activist Elnara Nurieva-Letova, alongside excerpts from a documentary series tracing Crimean Tatar heritage in Germany. Our heartfelt thanks go to the editors Sarah Reinke (Society for Threatened Peoples, GfbV) and Dr. Mieste Hotopp-Riecke (Institute for Caucasica-, Tatarica- and Turkestan Studies, ICATAT) for their dedicated work and inspiring insights.

Over the past two months, the ECMI was represented at two leading academic hubs for Ukrainian Studies in Germany, where ECMI postdoctoral researcher Elmira Muratova shared insights from her ongoing research on Crimean Tatars.The contributions highlight ECMI’s continued engagement with cutting-edge scholarship on Ukraine and minority communities affected by the ongoing war.

Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea marked the beginning of a systematic campaign of repression against the indigenous Crimean Tatar minority. ECMI researchers Elmira Muratova and Felix Schulte introduce the first comprehensive and geo-coded dataset documenting state repression targeting Crimean Tatars in Crimea. The dataset records almost 700 repression events affecting more than 2,000 individuals in the period 2014 to 2024 and provides detailed information, including the type and severity of repression events.

We are excited to share a new publication by Felix Schulte, Dogukan C. Karakus, and Ibrahim Gökburun. The study “Nationalist Focal Events and Anti-Minority Violence – How Soldier Funerals Spark Ethnic Riots in Turkey”, published in The European Sociological Review, shows that nationalist events – specifically funerals of fallen soldiers – can significantly increase the risk of spontaneous and violent attacks against minority members. The authors explore the case of Turkey, where the rise in anti-Syrian riots has closely followed military operations by the Turkish army in Syria and the accompanying funerals of Turkish soldiers. 

Our researcher, Viktoria Aygül, took part in the 2025 Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on Extremism and Democracy, held from 9 to 10 June at Queen Mary University of London.

Last week, ECMI researchers Felix Schulte, Dogukan C. Karakus, and Elmira Muratova participated in the 75th Political Studies Association (PSA) Annual International Conference, held from 14–16 April 2025 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

We are excited to announce the launch of the KoDaNetOst website, a new collaborative project between the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), and the Centre Marc Bloch (CMB).

We are excited to share a new SPARK projekt publication by Felix Schulte and team, now available in Conflict Resolution Quarterly as part of a special issue on  'Politcal Conflict and Spontaneous Collective Violence'.

Der Forschungsbereich, Konflikt & Sicherheit‘ beobachtet und analysiert gewaltsame und nicht-gewaltsame ethnische Konflikte in Europa. Untersucht werden zum einen Konfliktdynamiken und die Frage, warum ethnische Konflikte zu bestimmten Zeitpunkten eskalieren. Zum anderen werden erfolgreiche Ansätze des Konfliktmanagements erforscht, insbesondere welche institutionellen Reformen unter welchen Bedingungen am effektivsten sind, um ethnische Selbstbestimmungskonflikte friedlich und langfristig zu lösen. Ferner beobachten die ForscherInnen die Bedingungen für friedliches Zusammenleben von „alten“ und „neuen“ Minderheiten in Europa. Ein aktueller Forschungsschwerpunkt ist das von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) geförderte SPARK-Projekt. Lesen Sie das Interview mit Dr. Felix Schulte, Senior Researcher am ECMI und Leiter des Forschungsbereich „Konflikt & Sicherheit“.

The ECMI is pleased to be part of a new initiative aimed at strengthening research collaboration and data accessibility in Eastern Europe. Together with the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) and the Centre Marc Bloch (CMB), ECMI is co-developing KoDaNetOst—a Collaborative Data Network with Eastern Europe.

In November 2024, Routledge published the edited volume Minorities at War: Cultural Identity and Resilience in Ukraine, edited by Elmira Muratova and Nadia Zasanska. The volume is a direct outcome of an expert workshop, The War in Ukraine and its Impact on Ethno-Religious Minorities in the Region, held at the ECMI in May 2023.

Elmira Muratova recently took part in the workshop “New Research on Crimean Tatars: Post-2014 Challenges and Strategies,” organized by the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) in collaboration with the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM).

Vortrag von Senior Researcher Felix Schulte bei der „Langen Nacht der Demokratie“ in Flensburg

Am 2. Oktober 2024 hielt Senior Researcher Felix Schulte einen Vortrag im Rahmen der „Langen Nacht der Demokratie“ im „Bildung(s)Laden“ der Volkshochschule Flensburg (vhs). Die Veranstaltung, die erstmals in Schleswig-Holstein stattfand, bot Raum für Austausch und Diskussionen über die Bedeutung der Demokratie.

Public Lecture by Senior Researcher Felix Schulte at the "Long Night of Democracy" in Flensburg

On October 2, 2024, Senior Researcher Felix Schulte delivered a lecture during the “Long Night of Democracy” at the "Bildung(s)Laden" of the Volkshochschule Flensburg (vhs). The event, held for the first time in Schleswig-Holstein, provided a platform for discussions and exchanges on the significance of democracy.

From 1-6 September, 2024, Elmira Muratova took part in the international conference Societies on the Move: Migration, Mobility, and Displacement in Eastern Europe, held in Ascona, Switzerland.

A groundbreaking study "Collective Emotions, Triggering Events, and Self-Organization: The Forest-Fire Model of Cultural Identity Conflict Escalation," co-authored by ECMI's Felix Schulte, has been published in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior.

The workshop “Navigating Change: The Resilience of Territorial Autonomy” took place on June 13-14, 2024, at the Danish Central Library in Flensburg, bringing together a diverse group of experts, scholars, and practitioners.

Last week, ECMI Director Vello Pettai and Senior Researcher Felix Schulte presented their recent research at the ISPA RC Politics and Ethnicity Colloquium, held at Moldova State University from May 28-31, 2024.

Dr. Elmira Muratova, a recent addition to the ECMI's research team, captivated audiences with her recent engagements in the academic arena, shedding light on the dynamics faced by the Crimean Tatar community post the 2014 annexation of Crimea at both the Humboldt University Lecture Series and the George Washington University's Petrach Program on Ukraine.

We are delighted to announce the next workshop of the Global Autonomy Network Group (GANG) on "Navigating Change. The Resilience of Territorial Autonomy", which will take place at the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) in Flensburg, Germany, on 13-14 June 2024. The deadline for abstract submissions is 31 January 2024

In a recent visit to the Åland Islands Peace Institute, Senior Researcher Felix Schulte addressed members of the Åland regional parliament and presented his research at the Institute's research seminar.