13th International Sakharov Conference

Introduction

Although it is clear the war in Ukraine is going to last, and is far from the “Blitzkrieg” that Russian leader Vladimir Putin envisaged, it is also certain that sooner or later the war will end and the world will need to deal with a situation that Europe hasn’t seen since World War Two. The country that was invaded in 2014 and then again in 2022 has been ravaged, with a destroyed infrastructure, faltering economy, the largest refugee crisis in Europe since WW2, tens of thousands of dead and hundreds of thousands of people who have been traumatized by the consequences of war.

On May 18-19, 2023, a series of events will be organized in Vilnius with a special focus on Ukraine after the war. On May 18 a public conference will focus on the complex issues that Ukraine will face after the guns fell silent and the reconstruction of the country commences. One the second day, May 19, we will organize the auction of painting by Petras Vaitiekunas and Ukrainian ceramics at the gallery of the Town Hall, with the proceeds going to projects in support of Ukraine. The day will end with a charity concert for Ukraine by the Odessite pianist Aleksey Botvinov and the Lithuanian ensemble NIKO.