Results of the «Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South» conference
From October 14 to 16, Kyiv hosted an extensive event that brought together representatives from all over the world at the international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South”.
The event was attended by representatives of the expert, academic, and civil society from India, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Kenya, the Philippines, Turkey, Austria, Estonia, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Sudan, Chile, South Africa, Armenia, Brazil, Libya, Ghana, along with opposition figures to the governments of Iran and Syria residing outside their countries, and others.
In total, the conference brought together over 300 participants who joined both in person and online. Thirty-five prominent speakers from Asia, Africa, and Latin America engaged in panel discussions, sharing their experience and expertise with the audience.
The conference was initiated by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. This idea was supported and realized by partners from the public sector, including the «International Center for Ukrainian Victory», «Media Initiative for Human Rights», «Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union», «International Partnership for Human Rights», «ZMINA Human Rights Center», «Ukraine 5 AM» Coalition with the support of the Crimean Platform Office. The Mission actively contributed in the event’s organization together with these partners.
The opening ceremony was addressed by First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh, Head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center Tetyana Pechonchyk, leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev, Nobel Prize laureates: Nobel Prize in Literature 2021 Mr Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nobel Peace Prize 2011 Tawakul Karman, and Nobel Peace Prize 2022 Oleksandra Matviychuk.
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva expressed her gratitude to attendees from different countries who had traveled a long way to attend the event. Ms. Tasheva emphasized the significance of bringing together diverse segments of Ukrainian society at the conference – today, representatives from both the public sector and NGOs have gathered here, making it possible to implement the project.
«It is important to realize that de-occupation is not only about regaining the territory, it is primarily about returning our people. Our citizens should have the right and opportunity to come back to their homes in Crimea,» stated Tamila Tasheva, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The conference featured 9 discussion panels where participants discussed several key issues related to the challenges posed by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea. Each panel brought unique perspectives and insights that became the basis for subsequent discussions and dialogues among representatives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Ukraine.
In particular, the first panel discussion «Peace Plan for Ukraine. Global context of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine» was joined by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, Colombian journalist Catalina Gomez Angel, Director of the Center for European Studies at the University of Chile Paulina Astroza, speaker from Qatar, Dr. Omar Ashour, Professor of Security and Military Studies at the Doha Institute of Postgraduate Education, Dr. Dino Patti Jalal, founder and chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia (2014) and Ambassador of Indonesia to the United States (2010-2013), and Dr. Greg Mills, a representative of South Africa, Director of the Branhurst Foundation, joined the discussion online.
The discussion was moderated by Olha Aivazovska, Head of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory.
At the beginning, Ihor Zhovka emphasized the fallacy of the widespread assertion that Ukraine allegedly does not desire peace in contrast to Russia. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine underscored that the Ukrainian side seeks peace but not under the conditions proposed by Russia, as the aggressor seeks to freeze the conflict. The next speaker was Mrs. Catalina Gomez Angel, who emphasized the crucial role of journalism in spreading the truth about the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine, highlighting that journalists should not merely report but also portray the story of this war on behalf of the servicemen and ordinary people suffering due to Russian military aggression.
Dr. Ashour also noted that the methods used by Russia in its attempted annexation of Crimea are very similar to those used by ISIS. They are based on destabilizing the situation in the territory they plan to seize. Ms. Paulina Astroza, representative of Chile, analyzed the dynamics of changing positions of different Latin American countries on Russia’s war against Ukraine, noting that the war began in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea, and Chile was one of the first Latin American countries to condemn Russia’s actions almost 10 years ago. According to Ms. Astroza, Latin American countries respect international law and peace must be established, but not at any cost.
Dr. Dino Patti Djalal noted that after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for a while it might have appeared as a supposed «clash between the West and Russia», but that’s not the case. And that is why it is crucial to engage the countries of the Global South in the discussion. Dr. Greg Mills from the Republic of South Africa joined the discussion via video link, presenting the African perspective on the situation in Ukraine. Dr. Greg Mills emphasized that in most African countries, the position of the people regarding the situation in Ukraine does not always align with the official stance of their government. While government officials may support Russia or take a neutral position, African citizens remain on the side of Ukraine.
The second panel discussion, «Global food security: feeding the world from under the Russian missiles and amidst the ecocide», focused on the current challenges in Ukraine’s agriculture during the war. The panel was moderated by Hanna Hopko.
The speakers included: Vadym Svietlov — Head of Farm enterprise «Svetlova» in Sumy region; Serhiy Leonov — Head of Rovy Agro LLC in Chernihiv region, which operates under constant shelling from Russia and has survived the occupation; Yoruk Işık, — a geopolitical analyst, founder of the Bosphorus Observer, and a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC; Aribel Contreras Suarez — an analyst specializing in global issues at COMEXI think tank, Mexican global affairs analyst; Monsey Serrano — a Philippine business and change management consultant філіппінський консультант з управління бізнесом та змінами; Pavlo Panasyuk, a Ukrainian innovator in agriculture.
The first component featured a discussion with Ukrainian farmers and traders, where they described the losses of their farms during the occupation and shared their views on future scenarios for economic recovery. The second component of this panel discussion was devoted to the impact of full-scale Russian aggression on global food security. Experts from Ukraine, Turkey, the Philippines, and Mexico joined the discussion.
The panel focused on the colonial past and present of countries around the world, decolonization efforts and intentions through the prism of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During the discussion, Martin-Olexander Kyslyy, a researcher of the history of Crimea and the Crimean Tatars and a lecturer at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, reminded the audience that Russia’s occupation and genocide in Ukraine were not new, as the first occupation of the Crimean peninsula took place in 1783. Mridula Ghosh, Chair of the Board of the Eastern European Development Institute, added that historians believe that the war for liberation from Russian colonialism has been going on for 300-400 years. Alim Aliyev, a Crimean Tatar activist and Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, spoke about the history of Russian colonization of the Crimean Tatars. In particular, Alim Aliyev pointed out that 95% of the population in Crimea were Crimean Tatars before the elimination of the Crimean Khanate and before the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire. However, now they make up only 13% of the population. In the nineteenth century, Crimean Tatars lived more outside Crimea than within its borders, and in the twentieth century, they endured the Soviet deportation from Crimea.
Mordecai Thiombiano Lompo, CEO of Agape Humanitarian Outreach, who is also convenor of a Democratic Pressure group «Arise Ghana» and lead convenor of a political activist group «Justice for Ghana» expressed confidence that the Russian-Ukrainian war will end in Ukraine’s victory, and only through this will peace come. He also noted that if Ukraine does not fight, Russia will continue its military expansion to other countries.
Ms. Botakoz Kasymbekova also supported the thesis that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a fascist invasion and that Russia is now «punishing Ukraine for its decolonization». She also emphasized that the Ukrainian vision of Russia is highly valuable for the whole world.
«What can Ukraine do best? It can win the war. If it does, we will do the rest!» – Marat Iliasov said, adding that Ukraine, by winning, can help the nations currently under Russian occupation to give an impetus to decolonization.
It’s also worth noting that during the event, Felix Alejandro Maradiaga Blandon proposed the creation of democratic «global ecosystems» to counter contemporary forms of imperialism.
The second day of the international conference «Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South» began with the fourth panel discussion on «The New International Legal Order: How to find tools to protect peace and security in the future».
The speakers were: Felix Maradiaga, academician, former presidential candidate and President of the Nicaraguan Freedom Foundation; Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ukrainian lawyer specialising in public international law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law; Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan political leader, pro-democracy activist and Sakharov Prize winner; Mossaad Mohamed Ali Mossaad, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) from Sudan; and Araik Ghazaryan, Armenian human rights activist.
Richard Goldstone, a retired judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, joined the discussion online. The discussion was moderated by Oksana Kovalenko.
During the panel discussion, participants discussed the challenges of the current international legal system and its instruments, which cannot provide security guarantees in modern conditions. Experts from Venezuela, Armenia, and Sudan shared their experiences working with the International Criminal Court and also discussed the importance of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Peace Formula.
The speakers of the fifth panel discussed the state of global energy security. The panel «Energy security: how the full-scale Russian invasion affected the energy security around the world, and how to overcome its consequences together» focused on examples of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure, as well as on the terrorist seizure of the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Europe – Zaporizhzhya NPP.
During the discussion, Viktoria Voitsitska, Secretary of the Committee on Fuel Energy, Nuclear Policies and Security at International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), noted that although the political will of Ukraine’s global allies seems to be protecting Ukraine from Russia’s use of tactical nuclear weapons against it, none of the allies has the ability to solve the problem of Russian capture of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Olga Babiy, a member of the National Commission for State Regulation in Energy and Utilities, focused on the need to change international safety rules regarding the handling of nuclear facilities in case of capture. In her opinion, the mechanisms of international law in such cases do not work during wartime. «Russia’s impunity after its terrorist attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities sends a signal to all terrorists around the world to act in a similar manner,» the member of the Ukrainian National Commission said.
Oksana Ishchuk, the Executive Director of the Center for Global Studies «Strategy XXI»: expanded this idea: «Europe is extremely dependent on Russian nuclear fuel. So is America. And a lot of nuclear facilities operate thanks to Russian fuel». In addition, Oksana Ishchuk recalled the problem of blocking sanctions against Russia by some of its European allies.
Oliver Della Costa Stunkel, political analyst and professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation’s School of International Relations (FGV), agreed that getting rid of dependence on the Russian energy factor will take time. He also noted that although Brazil condemns Russia’s military aggression, it is pragmatically increasing its own dependence on Russian oil. Other countries, he said, have generally taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the war because of their economies’ dependence on Russian energy.
Ruhi Neog, a nuclear security specialist and CEO of The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), suggested that policy recommendations to help Ukraine are easy to say but difficult to implement. Within discussion, Ms. Ruhi Neog also noted that nuclear safety experts rarely interact with each other. She believes today is the right time to start such cooperation.
Dr. Can Kasapoglu, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute and Director of Defense Research at Economic and International Policy Studies (EDAM), expressed confidence that the Russian attacks and hostilities on the Zaporizhzhya NPP and Chornobyl NPP, may seem absurd, but they align with Russia’s military plan.
The final panel of the day was titled «Redefining the international security and development orders: Ukraine’s resistance and reconstruction, and South-South cooperation»
Ivan Klishch, a research fellow at ICDS in Tallinn, moderated and participated in the discussion with the speakers being: Armi Channa, Founder and President of the India-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IUCCI); Brenda Estefan, an international relations analyst from Mexico; Mario Pereira Garmendia, associate professor at University of Navarra School of Law; Roselyne Ndisi Obala, political editor at Nation Media Group from Kenya; the former Ambassador of Argentina to Ukraine and General Secretary of the Argentinian Council of Foreign Relations (CARI), Lila Roldán Vázquez.
The experts from Latin America, Africa, India and Estonia had the opportunity to discuss the prospects for the development of a sustainable global security architecture, regional cooperation, and possible threats to these processes. During the discussion, participants agreed that Russia’s war against Ukraine carries consequences and a threat to the entire world, as it is difficult to predict the next victim of the aggressor state, which could be any country.
The seventh panel discussion within the framework of the international conference «Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the south» was dedicated to the topic of the Wagner Group as a challenge to human rights around the world: In search of a solution for accountability. Before the main part of the discussion began, Olha Reshetylova, Head of the Media Initiative for Human Rights and moderator of the discussion, invited Tatiana Katrychenko, Coordinator of the MHRI, to speak and provide an interim report on the activities of the Wagner Group during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ms. Katrychenko gave examples of war crimes committed by representatives of the Wagner Group not only against the Ukrainian military, but also against civilians.
The first speaker was Mazen Darwish, a representative of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, who initiated the case against the Wagner Group. Mr Darwish noted that the Wagnerites openly identify themselves as Russians. He also spoke about the crimes against civilians committed by the Wagner Group in Syria during Russia’s invasion. Oumarou Paul Koalaga, founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Strategy from Burkina Faso provided insights about the activities of the Wagner Group on the African continent. He noted that in Africa, Wagner’s supporters are also engaged in commercial activities, not just military ones, attempting to gain control over deposits of natural resources and businesses.
Armando Armas, Venezuelan lawyer, activist and politician, member of the National Assembly of Venezuela, shared his experience of exposing the activities of the Wagner Group in Venezuela. He explained that Russia maintains relations with Venezuela not only on a strategic but also on a tactical level.
Maksym Tymochko from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, raised the issue of the legal status of Wagner Group members in Ukraine in the context of holding them accountable for war crimes and other international offenses committed in Ukraine since 2014.
Dr Sorcha MacLeod, researcher in the fields of international human rights law, who was involved in the drafting of the Montreux Document and the International Code of
Conduct for Private Security Providers, added several points to explain the problematic legal status of the Wagnerites. In her opinion, since the Wagner Group is involved in the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, they can be considered mercenaries in the context of the Geneva Conventions, as it concerns a conflict between two states. At the same time, Dr. MacLeod suggests considering the Wagner Group as a proxy force in those countries where the conflict exhibits characteristics of an internal one.
The eighth discussion focused on Muslim populations that have fallen victim to either Russian colonialism and imperialism or Russian disinformation and political influence. This took place during the panel on the topic «How Muslims are affected by the Russian aggression.Potential for global solidarity».
The Mufti of Crimea, Chairman of the Religious Administration of Muslims in Crimea Aider Rustemov stated in his opening remarks that Russia is slowly killing the Crimean Tatar people. He recalled the deportations, murders and disappearances of Crimean Tatars organized by the Russian state at the beginning of the occupation of the peninsula, and the hundreds of children left without parents as a result. He also expressed his belief that «since the war began in Crimea, it should end there as well».
Arsen Jumadilov, mentioned that within Russia, Muslims are also persecuted and their religious freedom is restricted. Mokhammad Zaidiie, Head of the Syrian diaspora in Kyiv and Director of the Ukrainian Medical and Humanitarian Foundation of the Union of Organizations for Medical Aid and Care (UOSSM), confirmed that the war in Ukraine is not the only war that Russia is waging against Muslims. Thus, in 2015, the Russian state officially entered the war in Syria, leading to deaths of about 1.5 million people and displacing 7-8 million as refugees. According to Mr. Zaidiie, more than 11,000 Syrians were killed in Syria,with over 1,500 women and 2,000 were children, solely because of Russia’s actions.
«Victory is always for the truth, and the truth is for Ukraine!» said Diallo Issa Sadio, President of the African Council in Ukraine, a member of the Public Council under the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, and member of the relevant expert council at the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. He also expressed confidence that Ukraine’s victory in the war is not long in coming.
Mohammad Fazril Bin Mohd Saleh, the General Secretary of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), noted that relatively few Muslims are familiar with the details of the Russia-Ukraine war and the history of Russian-Ukrainian relations. Therefore, in Southeast Asia, it is necessary to explain that Ukraine has never had its own colonies, and that Muslims in Ukraine, in the occupied Crimea, face Russian repression.
The panel discussion «The Global Left on Global War: Ideologies, Solidarity and Activism» concluded the international conference «Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South».
Discussion featured the following speakers: Manuel Férez Gil, a Chilean journalist, co-author of the «Ukraine’s Many Faces: Land, People, and Culture Revisited»; Oleksii Haran, a professor at the University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Research Director at the «Democratic Initiatives» Foundation; Kavita Krishnan, an Indian activist and feminist; Leila Al-Shami, a Syrian writer, activist, and author of «Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War»; and Samira Ardalani, an Iranian human rights activist. The discussion was moderated by Mariia Shynkarenko, a research fellow at the Institute of Human Sciences.
The participants were talking about the insufficient backing from the «leftists» in the fight against Russian imperialism. Moreover, the speakers agreed on the need to spread information about Ukraine as a separate state, not in the context of its former Soviet past. They urged a return to core principles and stressed that remaining silent also constitutes a stance that carries responsibility
In addition, the conference included three side events designed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the Crimean peninsula and the challenges faced by Ukrainians because of Russian aggression. In particular, the side events addressed the following topics: the impact of war and violence on women in different countries, bringing criminals to justice and restoring accountability for the most heinous crimes committed in Ukraine and beyond. As part of the conference, the participants also visited the Child Rights Protection Center. The purpose of the event was to familiarize international guests with the situation with violations of children’s rights as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as to highlight personalized stories of children affected by the war.
International guests had an opportunity to attend a cultural event at the Musafir restaurant, which specializes in Crimean Tatar cuisine, which allowed to learn more about the traditions of the indigenous peoples of Crimea.
It is worth noting that throughout the conference the venue was filled with exceptional works by Ukrainian artists Mariia Kulikovska and Yurii Nikitin. These works made a lasting impact on international guests, immersing them even more in the consequences of the war unleashed by Russia, the history of Ukraine, and the kinship between the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian peoples.
On one of the three days of the conference, the participants joined a tour of the historical sites in the center of Kyiv. In particular, the international guests visited Mykhailivska Square, Khreshchatyk, and the National Preserve «Sophia of Kyiv», a monument of Ukrainian architecture and monumental painting. The participants also met with volunteer Tata Kepler, who has been providing medical assistance to the military since 2014.
The last day of the conference, October 16, concluded with a closing ceremony, during which Maria Tomak, Head of National Office of the Crimea Platform, and Tetiana Pechonchyk, Head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center, delivered their speeches and expressed gratitude to the international speakers who made a long journey to visit to Ukraine and discuss the crucial topics. Maria Tomak and Tetyana Pechonchyk emphasized that this is only the beginning of cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America,with a vision of even stronger unity in the future.
This conference served as an outstanding platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences among representatives from diverse countries and cultures. It laid the foundation for cooperation and development of international ties with the countries of the Global South in various fields. All participants from Ukraine and around the world recognized the significance and uniqueness of this event.
We believe that the exchange of ideas and experience that took place during the conference will play a pivotal role in the further development of international relations, strengthening Ukraine’s subjectivity and contributing to addressing global challenges in the context of the confrontation between democratic forces and authoritarian regimes.
