Yesterday, we received the sad news of the passing of the renowned German journalist, long-time columnist for The Ukrainian Week, and a true friend of Ukraine — Richard Herzinger.
He was an author, editor, and political correspondent for a number of renowned German publications, including Die Zeit, Berliner Tagesspiegel, and Zürcher Weltwoche. For nearly 15 years, he wrote for Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Since 2018, Richard Herzinger had been a regular columnist for The Ukrainian Week, with his pieces appearing every other week.
“Although contemporary aggressive Russian policy is a continuation of the Russian Empire’s politics, many on the left continue to see Russia as a counterweight to Western capitalism, which they blame for all the world’s ills,” Herzinger wrote in what would become his final column for The Ukrainian Week. Nearly every piece he wrote warned of the dangers of imperial Russian narratives persisting in Western leftist discourse and underscored the threats Russia poses, not just to Ukraine, but to the global order as a whole.
We believe that Mr Herzinger’s warnings and insights, expressed so clearly in his writings, will remain relevant for many years to come. “No one should have any illusions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has abandoned his goal of destabilising Ukraine and forcing it back under Russian influence,” he wrote in 2020, in his column for the joint The Economist and The Ukrainian Week project, World in 2020.
“We saw him as a friend — a friend of the Institute, a friend of freedom, of a free Eastern Europe, a free Ukraine, and a free Poland. He was a frequent guest at our events, and whenever the topic involved Ukraine, you could be sure that Mr Herzinger would be there,” Patrick Shostak of the Pilecki Institute in Berlin recalled to The Ukrainian Week.
We will deeply miss Richard Herzinger — his sharp mind, his precise phrasing, and his thoughtful, intellectual writings. The editorial team at The Ukrainian Week extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. We mourn this loss with you.
