Ukrainian–Swedish conversation: Why Ukraine still surprises the world

The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) and the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) invite you to a public dialogue bringing together two of Ukraine’s most influential thinkers - Peter Pomerantsev, Volodymyr Yermolenko, and Marina Trattner - to explore why, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine continues to defy expectations and redefine Europe’s future.

Starttid: 2025-11-21 at 15:30

Sluttid: 2025-11-21 at 17:00

Tidszon: CET

Plats: Stockholm School of Economics

About the event

Ukraine is not only defending itself with weapons; its self-defense is a struggle over identity, democracy, and the stories that define a people. Nearly four years into the invasion, Ukraine’s defiance is a testament to the power of its culture, its evolving historical consciousness, and its democratic conviction under fire. In this conversation, two leading thinkers will explore how Ukraine’s struggle illuminates the role of history, culture, and identity, the endurance of democratic values, and what it teaches Europe about the stakes of these forces in shaping our own strength and resilience.

Through a conversation between two leading public intellectuals, the discussion will examine what Ukraine’s experience reveals about Europe’s identity and the renewal of democratic values in a time of global uncertainty. It moves beyond geopolitics and military strategy, asking instead:

How do societies defend meaning and trust under pressure?
Why does democracy endure when everything else breaks down?
What can Sweden and the Nordic–Baltic region learn from Ukraine’s struggle - and how can they become strategic partners in shaping Europe’s future?

Speakers

Volodymyr Yermolenko

President of PEN Ukraine; Ukrainian philosopher, writer, and leading public intellectual. Author and media commentator focused on democracy, wartime identity, and European values. The Editor-in-chief at UkraineWorld.

Peter Pomerantsev

Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University; author and researcher on information warfare, democracy, and media ecosystems. Executive Editor at The Reckoning Project and advisor to Western governments on counter-disinformation and information resilience strategies.

Marina Trattner

An independent researcher, motivational speaker supporting the mental resilience of Ukraine’s Medical Forces, curator of the exhibition ”The Kyiv Principality of the 14th–15th Centuries: Ukraine’s Impact on European Security”.

Moderator

Stefan Ingvarsson, Analyst at SCEEUS

Background in publishing, cultural journalism and literary translation. From 2015-2020 he acted as Cultural Counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow. Before that, he worked as artistic director of the international festival Stockholm Literature at Moderna Museet in Stockholm. He is a board member of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Visby.

Registration

To attend the event, please complete your registration by [clicking here]. Venue details will be shared exclusively with confirmed attendees.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at site@hhs.se.

About the initiative

This event is part of the NB8–Ukraine “Bound to Cooperate” project — an initiative connecting Ukraine with the Nordic–Baltic region and reviving Hetman Ivan Mazepa’s vision of a free and sovereign Europe stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.