Victor Pinchuk Foundation and YES hosted a discussion "Can Ukraine Count Only on Itself?" during the YES Special Gathering on February 24, 2026

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Can Ukraine Count Only on Itself?’ during the YES special gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The discussion brought together Ukrainian military commanders who discussed Ukraine’s ability to sustain its defence independently, the development of unmanned systems, and resilience on the battlefield.

Participants included: Yuriy Filatov, Head of Unmanned systems of the 3rd Army Corps, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksandr Falshtynskyi, Chief of the Medical Service, 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Daria Borysenko, Commander of the Strike UAV Crew, ‘Typhoon’ Special-Purpose Unmanned Systems Detachment, 22nd Separate Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine; Denys Nokhrin, Commander of the 21st Separate Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Moderator: Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019–2024), Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Economic Development.

Prior to the beginning of the discussion Chrystia Freeland, moderator, asked Victor Pinchuk to tell a story about Bono’s continued support for Ukraine. He first read an email sent by Bono to President Zelenskyy at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine:

“President Zelenskyy, the world is watching. The Ukrainian people are teaching the rest of the world what freedom looks like, what freedom feels like and most importantly, what freedom acts like. The bully in the neighbourhood will not prevail. Bless you poetic souls. We keep you in our prayers, Bono.”

After reading the email, and praising Bono for travelling to Ukraine to give a concert in May 2022, Victor Pinchuk showed a documentary short film, which captures the extraordinary daily lives of Alina and her fellow soldiers from Khartiya Corps, inspired by U2’s new release, “Your’s Eternally” (ft. Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian singer Taras Topolia), and released on the 4th anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Chrystia Freeland reminded the audience of the famous line written by Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine’s most well-known poet, “Bury me and then rise up. Rise up and break your chains.” and invited some of those who have physically risen up, to address the audience. She said, “I'm very inspired by the soldiers we're going to hear from. I've asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves so we can know them as human beings. And then I've asked them to tell us what we should do, what Ukraine needs to do to win the war.”

Oleksandr Falshtynskyi said, “It's a really hard, complicated and complex task for all of us, for Ukrainians and for our partners as well. The most important thing is to be united, we need to unite all our capabilities, all our strength to destroy the enemy. From my perspective, all democracies, all civilized countries can destroy the enemy.

“Later on we need to create such a strong army, to make sure the Russians are afraid to think of engaging once again.”

Yuriy Filatov said, “I can guarantee Ukrainians will fight. By fighting we are winning some time for Europe to unite. And by winning this time, I ask you to use this time wisely to gather together to create the common strength to fight for freedom, for your freedom and for our freedom.

“We count on you for support. We don't think and don't feel that we are alone in this fight. For sure we will fight, but we also count on you.”

Dariia Borysenko  noted:

“The enemy is too big, too powerful for us to cope with on our own. That is why I appeal to you again and again: help us to be strong, help us to keep the Russians out of your homes, out of your cities – the places where it is still quiet and peaceful. Because it used to be like that for us too. We did not believe that it would be so frightening and large-scale. But disaster struck. So only through support, only through inner strength – and each of us in our place is doing the maximum we can – can we withstand this.”

She added: “The Russians use the following tactic: they look for weak spots along the entire frontline. They test where they can break through, and then they reinforce that direction and launch an offensive. This is how it works all along the frontline. Constantly, in targeted ways, they are testing the borders of Europe. Shahed drones fly into European Union countries, a military aircraft crosses the border, a ship sails somewhere. If they are not pushed back in these pinpoint attacks, wait until they become massive.”

She is convinced that only through joint efforts between Ukraine and Europe, and by combining technological capabilities, can the aggressor be stopped and forced to feel the consequences of the war.

“You have technologies that we do not have. You have time to develop them – and we no longer do. Only together can we contain and repel the enemy, and bring the war onto its own territory. Because only when it hurts them – not here, not on our land… because those who die here are just numbers to them. They do not value human life the way we do. Only when it hurts them at home will they understand what this is and start to stop. Let's do this together," she concluded.

Denys Nokhrin is convinced that Ukraine must go beyond its own limits, continuously improve, and stay ahead of an enemy that learns quickly, while keeping the initiative.

“We must do more than the maximum if we want to win. More than what is written in our official duties, more than how we used to destroy the enemy by various methods, more than we even think we can. The enemy is indeed enormous, powerful, and it learns quickly – it truly learns. Because in most cases, it is we who invent the newest and more sophisticated solutions on the battlefield.”

“Four years of the full-scale invasion have proven that Ukraine is strong – Ukraine is a technological country. Even in years when we did not have sufficient ammunition and weapons, Ukraine managed to regroup and to rapidly and powerfully develop its unmanned capabilities, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. You can see that the war has completely transformed, changed its course and direction – and believe me, it will continue to change. Because it is in times of war that technologies develop most intensively.”

The YES Special Gathering on February 24 is a platform for an honest conversation about the price of freedom, the limits of endurance, and shared responsibility for the future of Europe. Four years on from the full-scale invasion, Ukraine remains on the front lines not only of its independence, but also of the security of the entire democratic world.

Photos are available here 

Video will be on YouTube  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation