Living and working through war: Oleg Krishtal MAE describes the need for ‘metalanguage’#
In this interview, Oleg Krishtal, member of the Physiology and Neuroscience section of Academia Europaea since 1990, discusses the resilience of Ukraine’s scientists, their wartime challenges, and the critical role of science in the nation’s survival.
Professor Oleg Krishtal
About Oleg Krishtal#
Oleg Krishtal MAE is a world-renowned neurophysiologist, and one of Ukraine’s top-cited scientists. From 2011 to 2021, he was Director at the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology
. With a PhD in Molecular Physics (1971) and a Doctor of Sciences degree (1981), he has held various roles at the Institute since 1970, focusing on cellular membranology. Professor Krishtal is a member of the National Academy of Ukraine (1997).
Read the interview#
How has your daily life as a scientist changed since the war started?
“The daily lives of scientists, like those of all citizens, have become notably opportunistic. We try to anticipate, hour by hour, the likelihood of an air-raid alarm or a power outage.”
Can you share any moments that have particularly impacted you, either personally or professionally, during this time?
“The inevitability of living through war has triggered a natural human defence mechanism, raising one’s threshold of personal sensitivity to such conditions. However, what has struck me most is the collective bravery and solidarity of our people. Ukrainians remind me of what I know about the British during WWII. At a critical time, you were also fighting alone, as we are.”
In these difficult times, how do you and your team find resilience and maintain motivation?
“Human solidarity alone provides a powerful source of motivation. A few years before the war, I wrote a collection of essays titled To the singing of birds: A private journey to myself in which I proposed the concept of a unique mechanism, ‘metalanguage’, which allows people to unite by sharing feelings, emotions, and aspirations. Although postgraduate students and post-docs are exempt from conscription, a lot of young scientists choose to volunteer for the army. Tragically, one of the post-docs from my Institute, Bizan Sharopov, lost his life at the frontline.”
What role do you believe Ukrainian science and research play in the broader struggle for national survival and recovery?
“Ukraine has long had a strong, multidisciplinary scientific community, which is now doing its utmost to support our courageous army. These efforts range from improving medical treatments to save the lives and look after the health of our soldiers, to developing new missiles, drones and other technologies. Indeed, Ukraine is home to the world’s largest rocket factory, which was demilitarised in the post-Soviet era, but is now undergoing a reversal of that process.”
How do you envisage the future of Ukrainian science and research after the war?
“This is a war in which the aggressor denies the very existence of our nation. This is the ultimate reason for and goal of this invasion. There can be no compromise and no alternative: we are fighting for the survival of our nation, which includes its science. Metalanguage ensures our unity.”
