On October 26-27, 2026, the Defending Baltics 2026 conference took place in Vilnius, where Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, urged European countries to unite against Russian aggression. He emphasized the importance of shared experience and readiness for new challenges facing Europe.
The Importance of Security Cooperation
Andriy Yusov stressed that hybrid pressure and cognitive warfare from Russia are not temporary phenomena but a new reality that must be acknowledged. He noted that European capitals have a choice: to wait for new terrorist attacks or to develop an effective collective defense based on Ukraine's experience.
Defending Baltics 2026 Conference
The conference was organized by Lithuanian NGOs Locked N’ Loaded and Civic Resilience Initiative with the support of the Ministries of National Defense and Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. The main goal of the event was to strengthen the resilience of the Baltic region by studying Ukraine's experience in the war against Russia.
- Participants included representatives from the security and defense forces of Ukraine, Latvia, as well as military and experts from other NATO and EU countries.
- Welcoming speeches were delivered by Lithuania's Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaušas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys, and European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius.
Presentation of Ukraine's Experience
During the conference, Yusov presented projects of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners, aimed at breaking the information blockade in Russia. He highlighted the importance of such initiatives for strengthening information security and resilience against external threats.