LibMod with four events at Cafe Kyiv 2026

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Colosseum Berlin
6:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m., Cinema 1
Host: Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Center for Liberal Modernity

Elections under attack: How Russian disin­for­mation targets democ­racies – Insights from Europe’s frontline states

In Europe’s eastern neighbors and within the EU, Russia uses disin­for­mation as a long-term strategy to interfere in domestic politics and manip­ulate democ­ratic elections.

In Ukraine, Russia is attempting to undermine the legit­imacy of the government by pressuring it to hold elections during the war. Georgia illus­trates the long-term effects of Russian inter­ference: democ­ratic decline and shrinking civil society space. Moldova success­fully prevented a coordi­nated attempt to undermine its political system in last year’s parlia­mentary elections. Meanwhile, Armenia, where parlia­mentary elections will be held this year, is already facing open threats from Moscow. Similarly, pro-Russian narra­tives are increas­ingly influ­encing public debate in Germany, where state elections are due in 2026.

Using case studies from these five countries, the panel will examine the Kremlin’s disin­for­mation playbook, highlighting recurring patterns, country-specific differ­ences, and new features emerging in 2025–2026. The discussion will also address what Germany can learn from the experi­ences of Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus and how it can strengthen its democ­ratic resilience.

Speakers
Bohdan Danyliv, Head of Military Department, Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, Ukraine
Mariam Hoveyan, Director of Electoral Programs, Trans­parency Inter­na­tional Armenia
Sergi Kapanadze, Founder, GRASS (Georgia’s Reforms Associates), Editor-in-Chief, GEOPolitics
Dr. Arndt von Loring­hoven, Diplomat and former German Ambas­sador to Poland, co-author of “Putin’s Attack on Germany: Disin­for­mation, Propa­ganda, Cyberattacks”
Sanda Sandu, Program Manager, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Moldova; Co-founder, Platform for Security and Defense Initia­tives, Moldova

Moderator
Florian Binder, Research Associate, Konrad Adenauer Foundation South Caucasus

Language
English

Colosseum Berlin
6:45 p.m. — 7:30 p.m., Cinema 6
Host: Center for Liberal Modernity

Book presen­tation: “The Overlooked Nation — Germany and Ukraine since the 19th Century” by Martin Schulze Wessel

Eastern European historian Martin Schulze Wessel presents his book “The Overlooked Nation: Germany and Ukraine since the 19th Century” – the first compre­hensive account of German-Ukrainian relations. The work shows how closely the two countries are histor­i­cally inter­twined: from Germany’s colonial plans during World War I and its role in Ukraine’s brief period of statehood in 1918, to the catastrophic crimes of Germany’s war of exter­mi­nation in Ukraine, to the country’s renewed disap­pearance from German consciousness after 1945.

The focus is on the question of why Germany has long under­es­ti­mated its historical respon­si­bility towards Ukraine and what signif­i­cance this past has for today’s attitude towards Russia’s war of aggression.

Welcome
Marieluise Beck, Senior Fellow, Center for Liberal Modernity

Speakers
Martin Schulze Wessel, Chair of Eastern and South­eastern European History, LMU Munich
Olivia Kortas, Corre­spondent for the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT in Ukraine

Moderator
Simon Schlegel, Program Director Ukraine, Center for Liberal Modernity

Language
German

Colosseum Berlin
7:45 p.m. — 8:30 p.m., Cinema 7
Hosts: Berlin Economics, Center for Liberal Modernity

How to sustain Ukraine’s funding needs during and after the war?

During Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine received approx­i­mately €90 billion in military, financial, and human­i­tarian aid annually from the US, the EU, and other partner countries between 2022 and 2024. The financing needs are therefore extremely high. While Ukraine and its partners are currently discussing possible sources of financing for the coming years, the condi­tions for support are clear. Financing must be suffi­cient, quickly available, and predictable.

In order to maintain the financing of aid, researchers and policy­makers are discussing various instru­ments. One of these is a so-called repara­tions credit based on frozen Russian assets.

Our panel will discuss the oppor­tu­nities and risks of these instru­ments and address the following questions:

• How much funding is needed for defense, infra­structure, and macro­eco­nomic support?
• How does the repara­tions loan work?
• Are there alternatives?
• What are the impli­ca­tions for Ukraine, the EU, the US, and Russia?

Speakers
Robin Wagener, Member of the German Bundestag, Chair of the German-Ukrainian Parlia­mentary Group, Bundestag
Garry Poluschkin, Advisor, Berlin Economics
Inna Sovsun, Member of Parliament, Committee on Energy, Housing, and Utilities, Verkhovna Rada
Iana Okhri­menko, Senior Economist, Centre for Economic Strategy

Moderator
Ralf Fücks, Managing Partner, Center for Liberal Modernity

Language
English

Colosseum Berlin
8:00 p.m. — 8:45 p.m., Cinema 4
Hosts: Quantum Systems, Center for Liberal Modernity

Defense commu­ni­cation – The war for attention, the fight for truth

Modern wars and conflicts are no longer fought exclu­sively along the front lines. They take place in parallel in the infor­mation space – on social media, in tradi­tional newsrooms, and on digital platforms – where narra­tives shape public perception and political will while also influ­encing social cohesion.

This panel examines how government agencies, armed forces, and private sector actors can strengthen their resilience against disin­for­mation, manip­u­lation, and psycho­logical opera­tions. It explores how credible commu­ni­cation, trans­parency, and speed can counter false narra­tives, maintain public trust, and protect democ­ratic decision-making processes in times of crisis.

Drawing on experi­ences in Ukraine, the discussion will address the role of defense commu­ni­cation as a strategic capability: from coordi­nating messages between government, military, and industry to respon­sibly commu­ni­cating sensitive technologies, opera­tional realities, and risks without feeding adver­sarial narratives.

The panel will pose a key question: How can insti­tu­tions win the battle for attention without compro­mising the truth, and how can successful commu­ni­cation become a decisive advantage in modern defense and security policy?

Speakers
Valentyna Shapo­valova, Defense Innovation Highway (Copen­hagen)
Oleksandr Zhylyayev, 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, Khartiia
Krista-Marija Läbe, Strategic Commu­ni­ca­tions, Quantum Systems
Mykyta Puz, Junior Lieutenant, 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov”

Moderator
Olivia Kortas, corre­spondent for the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT in Ukraine

Language
English

Colosseum Berlin
5:00 p.m. — 5:45 p.m., Book Stage
Host: ibidem-Verlag

Where Can One Publish Research on Ukraine? 

Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine was prepared and accom­panied by a compre­hensive infor­mation war that distorts, obscures, and falsifies the truth about this attack and about Ukraine. The Russian government system­at­i­cally uses misin­for­mation and disin­for­mation to influence public opinion worldwide in favor of the Kremlin. This poses a challenge not only for journalism, but also for publishing, liter­ature, and academia. Where and how can credible, independent perspec­tives on Ukraine and the war be published? Ukrainian and German publishers and series editors committed to ampli­fying Ukrainian voices will present their publishing platforms and discuss oppor­tu­nities for publishing individual and collective research.

Speakers
Alla Vaysband, “Dukh i Litera” Publishing and Research Associ­ation, Kyiv
Susann Worschech, Book Series “Inter­dis­ci­plinary Ukrainian Studies,” Nomos Verlag
Andre Störr, Book Series “Ukraine im Fokus,” Verlag Friedrich Mauke
Iwona & Adam Reichardt, Magazine “New Eastern Europe,” Kolegium Europy Wschodniej
Simon Schlegel, Website “Under­standing Ukraine,” Center for Liberal Modernity
Michael Dobbins, Book series “Explaining Ukraine,” Springer VS

Moder­ation

Andreas Umland, Book Series “Ukrainian Voices”/SPPS & JSPPS, ibidem-Press

Language
English

Cafe Kyiv will take place on February 23, 2026, at the Colosseum Berlin cinema: Gleim­straße 31, 10437 Berlin.