Recently, our team took part in the 18th Kyiv Security Forum, held under the theme “Darkness or Dawn: Is There Light Ahead?”. In the fifth year of the full-scale war, the focus of international discussions is inevitably shifting from abstract conversations about peace to pragmatic issues of survival, resilience, and the internal strength of the state.
Security and recovery are no longer processes that can be postponed “until after the war.” As emphasized during the Special Forum on Urban Leadership, Ukrainian cities must move from crisis management to building long-term resilience and investment readiness already now.
The protection of critical infrastructure remains our top priority. Forum participants stressed that the energy sector continues to be a constant target, which makes it our shared task to continuously build and restore essential facilities, creating a decentralized and secure network.
However, recovery is not only about concrete and generators. It is прежде всего about transparency and trust. The Forum’s anti-corruption panel clearly articulated that integrity is the foundation of national security. Given that society assesses the level of corruption in the country at a critical 8.6 out of 10, we must recognize that no investor will come without clear and transparent rules of the game.
Another crucial dimension of recovery is its human-centered approach. More than 1.2 million Ukrainians are already veterans, and their full reintegration and engagement in community rebuilding are the foundation of our resilience for decades to come. Economic recovery has no meaning if it is not built on human capital.
“The Forum demonstrated one hard truth: no one will outsource security or an economic miracle to us. For us, this means daily work to ensure that Ukrainian communities become more resilient to shocks, infrastructure becomes independent, and recovery processes are fully transparent. Only in this way will we be able to attract the necessary resources and endure,” said Mykyta Laktionov, Deputy Head of the Ukraine Rebuilding Alliance.
