After the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago, Khatniuk fled to the Netherlands via Romania. It was already the second time she had been forced to flee Russian violence: in 2014 she moved from the Donbas to Kyiv after the invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. After arriving in the Netherlands, she completed her secondary school in Ukraine online and started taking Dutch language classes. 

Two degree programmes, two perspectives 

Khatniuk is currently combining two Bachelor’s programmes: Public Administration at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Financial Activities at the University of Lviv. She has never actually been on campus in Lviv; she follows her courses online. She talks enthusiastically about her studies and clearly takes great pleasure in studying. Her two programmes complement each other very well: 'In both programmes I took a course on financial services, but from different perspectives. This makes it very interesting to study the two programmes side by side.' She experiences studying at the UvA as more intensive: 'I have more exams here, and the pace is also higher.'

More focus thanks to financial support 

As a student from Ukraine, which is not part of the European Economic Area (EEA), Khatniuk has to pay the institutional tuition fee and is not entitled to a student public transport pass. To cover these high costs, she went in search of a scholarship. Her mother eventually came across the Study without Borders Fund, where she submitted an application. Khatniuk received a €5,000 scholarship. Thanks to this financial support, she can devote more time to her studies for the duration of one semester. And this is clearly paying off: she is now following the Honours programme and her academic results have improved. 

The scholarship is very important to her, and she is extremely grateful to the Fund: 'Without this scholarship, I would never have joined the Honours programme. In fact, I think that without this scholarship it would not have been possible for me to continue my studies at all.'For the remainder of her studies, Khatniuk feels reassured: the Dutch government has announced that, from 1 September 2027, Ukrainian students will also pay the statutory tuition fee of €2,694. 

What chess teaches her 

The scholarship not only gives Khatniuk more scope to study, but also to play chess – something she has been doing since the age of nine. Although she talks about it modestly, it has long since become more than just a hobby: in 2023 she became Dutch champion. Chess has already brought her a lot, and she has built up a network and made friendships all over the world. The sport also helps her in her studies: 

'Chess has given me skills that I can really use in my studies. It trains my memory, because I practise different openings. It has also strengthened my discipline: to keep up, I have to practise every day, and if I truly want to improve, I need to play chess for three to four hours a day. Just as with studying, repetition is essential.' Despite her studies and  ambitions, her dream for the future is crystal clear: one day, Khatniuk wants to become a chess grandmaster.