Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

virtual events series

Ukrainian panel discuss the reality of two years of war with Russia in exclusive Independent event

Bel Trew, The Independent’s award-winning chief international correspondent, photographer and documentary filmmaker, hosted the panel live from Kyiv in Ukraine

Friday 23 February 2024 13:22 EST
Comments
Tetiana, whose son died fighting in Bakhmut a few weeks ago, is hugged and comforted by a friend as they mark the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Tetiana, whose son died fighting in Bakhmut a few weeks ago, is hugged and comforted by a friend as they mark the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Bel Trew)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

To mark two years since Ukraine was invaded by Russia, The Independent brought together a panel of Ukrainian experts to voice their experiences of the war.

Bel Trew, The Independent’s award-winning chief international correspondent, photographer and documentary filmmaker, hosted the panel, part of our Virtual Events series, live from Kyiv in Ukraine.

She was joined by Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of Kyiv School of Economics and an advisor to Ukraine’s presidential administration.

Speaking just moments after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother confirmed she was finally shown his body almost a week after he was confirmed dead, he said: “These are dark times for Ukraine and Europe.”

He added: “We have to push back and fight back to secure Europe and defend democracy.”

Also on the panel was Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme and head of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House.

Lutsevych called Ukraine “a theatre of war” and said Putin “wants the US to abandon Europe,” adding it will be a “dark, dark world” if he succeeds in his aims.

“What is Ukraine defending? Readers should understand this is beyond Ukraine,” she told our viewers.

Two years of war have sparked a multitude of repercussions across Europe and the world - and has left the nation at the heart of it in utter devastation, with $75 billion dollars worth of destruction in Ukraine.

Alongside the monetary damage, our third panellist Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine and former Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, shed horrifying insight on the human cost of war in Ukraine.

He called out “Russian genocide on the Ukrainian nation,” adding: “Russians are weaponising stolen children and teaching them to hate not just Ukraine, but the West.”

Watch the entire Q&A event for free below.

Two years of war in Ukraine

To find out about our next virtual event and how to sign up click here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in