On the weekend, Kyiv hosted the conference “Defunding, Disarming, and Isolating Russia’s War Machine,” organized by B4Ukraine. The event brought together Ukrainian and international experts, as well as civil society representatives, to discuss key steps needed to weaken Russia’s war machine.

ICUV experts — Hanna Hopko, Vlada Dumenko, Viktoriia Voitsitska, and Lesia Orobets were also invited to take part in the discussions on strengthening sanctions, ensuring Russia’s accountability, and the role of international partners in ending the war.

The opening remarks were delivered by Nataliya Popovych founder of One Philosophy and expert at B4Ukraine SteerCo, Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and Katarina Mathernova, EU Ambassador to Ukraine.

Four years after the full-scale invasion and twelve years since the start of Russian aggression, the war continues, and its economic lifelines remain only partially cut. While sanctions and the withdrawal of international businesses have significantly impacted Russia’s economy, existing loopholes, particularly in the energy sector and the supply of critical technologies, still allow the Kremlin to continue financing the war.

There was also a discussion on the risks of weakening sanctions under the guise of “compromises” or “peace solutions.” Lifting pressure now would not bring peace closer, instead, it would entrench impunity and could lead to new waves of aggression.

It is important not only to maintain sanctions, but to make them more effective. This includes closing loopholes, especially in the energy sector, restricting Russia’s access to technologies, and strengthening enforcement mechanisms. Special attention was also drawn to the need to extend sanctions to major state-owned companies, including Rosatom, which still remains outside full sanctions pressure and continues to support the Russian economy.

“We clearly understand how Rosatom works, how widely its networks are spread across the world, and how they are used by Russia to advance its influence over decision-makers.”

Hanna Hopko, Head of the Board of the Network for the Protection of National Interests “ANTS” and co-founder of ICUV