Events
When citizens become part of defense. The Ukrainian phenomenon of democratic resilience
15 October 2025, 10:22

Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation, emphasized the unique phenomenon of Ukrainian resilience, which combines the strength of the state with the self-organization of its citizens, during his speech at the IV Ukraine-France Forum.

Key points of the speech:

  • Ukrainian resilience in wartime is the result of two mutually reinforcing factors: the state’s ability to act effectively in critical moments and the capacity of civil society to self-organize;
  • the Ukrainian model of resilience lies in the fact that citizens assumed responsibility in areas where the state could not respond quickly, creating a unique system of mutual support between the government and society;
  • the historical distance between Ukrainians and their state, shaped by a long experience of statelessness, is being gradually overcome through the war. Сitizens increasingly identify themselves with their state;
  • Ukrainian self-organization during the current war is not an act of defiance against the state, but one of support. This has been the foundation of the country’s effective defense;
  • The war has shortened the gap between idea and decision, making Ukraine’s response system more agile than that of many democratic states with rigid hierarchical structures;
  • This form of democratic resilience is unique, yet it has its limits: a prolonged war of attrition may exhaust the resources of self-organization, underscoring the need for stronger international support;
  • The Ukrainian experience demonstrates a new model of civic engagement – an example of a society capable of acting autonomously and responsibly under crisis conditions, offering valuable lessons for other democratic nations.

Watch the recording in Ukrainian: https://cutt.ly/JrMLTgUJ

The Forum is organized by the New Europe Center in partnership with Ifri with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. For this event, the New Europe Center is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation.

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