War, Power, and the Future of European Security: Lessons from Ukraine

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has become the most significant geopolitical shock to the European order since the end of the Cold War. The war has challenged long-standing assumptions about security, borders, and power in Europe, and forced a reassessment of Europe’s strategic environment. Four years into the full-scale war and twelve years since the start of Russia’s aggression, Ukraine is emerging not only as a country defending its sovereignty, but also as a key actor shaping the future security architecture of Europe. The conflict has revealed both the persistence of imperial ambitions in Russia and the growing role of Ukrainian society, institutions, and armed forces in defending democratic values and European stability.

This conversation brings together two Ukrainian and two Danish voices representing complementary perspectives on the war: strategic analysis and lived experience. Together, they will reflect on what Russia’s war against Ukraine means for the future of European security, how Ukrainian society has transformed under the pressure of war, and what lessons Europe should draw from Ukraine’s experience.

The discussion will explore the broader geopolitical implications of the war as well as whether Europe is ready for the emergence of Ukraine as a central security actor on the continent. 

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Speaker Introductions

Yevhen Hlibovytskyi is a Ukrainian public intellectual, analyst, and director of the Frontier Institute, co-founder of the Nestor Group, an interdisciplinary group of thinkers, analysts, and academics discussing Ukraine’s strategic challenges. He is widely known for his work on Ukrainian societal transformation and institutional development in post-communist countries. In the last 20 years, he has also worked for the OSCE and other international organisations in countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central Europe. Yevhen Hlibovytsky is a supervisory board member of Ukrainian Public Service Broadcasting and an advisory board member of Razom for Ukraine, a US-based advocacy group.

Artur Dron is a Ukrainian writer, poet, and soldier (call sign «Davyd») who has served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine during Russia’s war against Ukraine. Belonging to a new generation of Ukrainian authors shaped directly by war, Dron combines literary work with lived experience from the front line. His writings, including «We were here» and «Hemingway knows nothing», explore the human and moral dimensions of war, the transformation of language and culture under extreme conditions, and the experience of a generation that has come of age during the defence of Ukraine.

Jakob von Holderstein Holtermann, Associate Professor, Centre of Excellence for International Courts and Governance, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen. 

Moderator: Haakon A. Ikonomou, Associate Professor, PhD in History at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen. Specialising in international organisations, diplomacy, and European integration. Coordinator and Steering Group Member of UCPH Geopolitics and Director of HUM:Global.