From 28 April to 2 May, the Carpathian Sea Democracy Week took place in Truskavets, Lviv Oblast. This event became the Ukrainian analogue of the leading European democracy festivals. The forum brought together more than 500 participants from Ukraine, Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden, Estonia, South Korea and other countries. Among the participants were politicians, mayors, diplomats, business leaders, academics, veterans, volunteers, journalists and civil society representatives.

The ICUV team also joined this event. Among the participants were ICUV co-founder Olena Halushka, international lawyer Andrii Mikheiev and Head of Communications Vlada Dumenko.

The forum began with a performance by the Drohobych military band, the Ukrainian national anthem and a minute of silence in memory of the fallen defenders. A flash mob brought together more than 200 participants in the central square of Truskavets, and dozens more joined the event online.

For five days, participants discussed key topics:

• energy security and green recovery;
• cooperation between cities and communities;
• the role of the media in times of war;
• international partnership and financial support instruments.

On 1 May, Andrii Mikheiev took part in a panel discussion titled “The ruble that no longer kills: Sanctions that change the game and exhaust the Kremlin”, which analysed the current state of sanctions policy towards Russia. Participants discussed how to make economic pressure on the aggressor more effective and the sanctions regime more resistant to circumvention. It is also important to engage more international partners, as civil society plays a critical role in increasing sanctions pressure on the aggressor.

In addition, on 1 May, Olena Halushka spoke at the discussion “The role of civil society organisations in advocating for Ukraine’s victory”. In her speech, she emphasised the unique role of civil society, which has one of the highest levels of trust in the country. Today, civil society organisations remain the engine of resilience, generating international support and keeping the country on the path to victory and European integration.

The forum became not only a space for discussion but also a platform for concrete action. The participants signed a joint declaration in support of Ukraine, held an award ceremony for Ukrainian and international partners, and held a charity auction by the Carpathian Sea Democracy Week and Birds of Victory, which raised UAH 105,000 for drones for the Ukrainian military.

We are grateful to the organisers and our partners of the Carpathian Sea Democracy Week for the opportunity to join this important event and thank all the participants who continue to fight for the freedom, unity and victory of our country.