On 24 February 2026, four years after Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, CIVIL – Center for Freedom will convene an international online conference titled Four Years of Aggression: Ukraine’s Resistance and the World’s Responsibility, bringing together thought leaders, analysts, journalists, diplomats, policymakers, and civil society representatives from Europe and beyond.

Scheduled for 24 February 2026 at 17:00 CET, the conference is conceived not as a commemorative gesture, but as a moment of reckoning.

Click on the YouTube link or the event on Facebook to be reminded. 

Four years into the invasion, Ukraine continues to resist military assault, partial territorial occupation, and systematic attempts to erase its sovereignty and identity. Yet the war has long transcended the battlefield. It has reshaped European security, accelerated the alignment of authoritarian regimes and radical political structures, intensified disinformation and hybrid warfare operations, and tested the resilience of democratic institutions across continents.

Organizers emphasize that this is not merely a war between two states, but a broader confrontation over democratic values, international law, and justice.

“Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s resistance has become a defining test of democratic resolve across Europe and beyond. The responsibility of democratic nations is not only to support Ukraine militarily and economically, but to defend the principles of sovereignty, accountability, and international law that are under attack,” said Roger Casale, Director of the Westminster Alliance for Ukraine and co-founder of the Defending Democracy Global Initiative.

The conference will be structured around three thematic sections.

The first — Reality: Ukraine and the Shape of War Today — will confront a fundamental truth: there is one victim — Ukraine — and an Axis of Aggressors. It will examine how the war, imposed by Russia and its allies, has become a long-term condition reshaping politics, security, and societies far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

The second — The Invisible War: Disinformation, Hybrid Threats, and False Peace — will address the mechanisms through which propaganda, “both-sidesism,” and strategic ambiguity weaken democracies. Participants will explore how silence, neutrality, and fatigue can become forms of complicity in the normalization of aggression.

The third — Choice: What Must Be Defended, and by Whom — will focus on responsibility. Governments, media, civil society, and citizens alike face a decision: whether to defend democratic values despite political, economic, or social costs, or to allow their erosion through inaction.

“Ukraine is not only a victim of aggression — it is a mirror held up to the world. There is one victim in this war — Ukraine — and an axis of aggressor states and authoritarian actors. Four years after the invasion, the frontlines are no longer confined to territory alone; they extend into our information spaces, our political systems, and the resilience of democratic institutions. The question is no longer whether the war matters globally. The question is whether the world is prepared to assume responsibility for its consequences,” said Jabir Deralla, co-founder of the Defending Democracy Global Initiative and President of CIVIL – Center for Freedom.

Ahead of the conference, a Joint Declaration will be issued and opened for endorsement by organizations, media, intellectuals, and citizens committed to defending democratic values and rejecting false equivalence in the face of aggression.

The conference is held within the framework of the Defending Democracy Global Initiative (DDGI), as part of its flagship programme, the Westminster Alliance for Ukraine (WA4U), and is coordinated by CIVIL – Center for Freedom. CIVIL’s independent media platform will host and livestream the event, ensuring open international access and sustained public engagement before and after the conference.

The initiative is implemented in cooperation with the European Youth4Media Network / Media Dialogue, and the New European People’s Forum (Germany), Jean Monnet Association (France), and Centro Studi Internazionali (Italy). Organizers also expressed appreciation to the Ukraine British Business Council for supporting the promotion of the event.

Additional details, including confirmed speakers and registration information, will be released in the coming days.

Media contact:
Jabir Deralla
President
CIVIL – Center for Freedom
info@defendingdemocracy.global