Beyond the Battlefield: The Power of Ukraine’s Civil Society with Dr. Svitlana Kovalchuk

What does it take to keep a democracy alive in the midst of war? What happens when a nation’s fate rests not only on soldiers and politicians but on the courage of its people?

In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social), talks with Dr Svitlana Kovalchuk, the Executive Director at Yalta European Strategy (YES) where she shares how Ukraine’s civil society is not just surviving but shaping the country’s future. From grassroots activism to high-level diplomacy, she unpacks the relentless efforts of citizens fighting for freedom, governance, and international support. As Ukraine stands at a crossroads, their struggle carries lessons for the world. This is the story of resilience, resistance, and the power of people to define their own destiny.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

Play the episode on Spotify or SoundCloud, or read the full transcript below.

Show notes

This podcast, as well as previous episodes, is available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.

You can follow Svitlana on LinkedIn and Facebook. And the Yalta European Strategy group here, here, and here.

You can know more about the Black Sea Security Conference here, and here.

Follow the work done by our colleagues at The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, South Caucasus here, the Europe-Georgia Institute here, and The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Regional Programme Political Dialogue South Caucasus, here.

As Ricardo mentioned on his special comment, a big thanks to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Georgian service of RFE/RL, Tavisupleba [meaning`Freedom` in Georgian] that provides politically and financially independent journalism.

Transcript