The 15th Sakharov International Conference Held in Vilnius: Focus on the Global Impact of the War in Ukraine

On May 21–22, 2025, the 15th Sakharov International Conference “Pulling Back from the Abyss” took place at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius. The event focused on the global consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The conference was held in a hybrid format, with a live broadcast organized at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

The Veteran Mental Health Center of Excellence, Institute of Psychiatry, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, served as a conference partner. The University’s Rector, Professor Volodymyr Bugrov, delivered welcoming remarks, emphasizing the importance of international solidarity in supporting mental health during wartime in Ukraine.

The event gathered international experts, policymakers, and scholars to discuss the crisis of the global order triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion. The program included four thematic panels, contributions from young analysts from Lithuania, Ukraine, and Georgia, and closed-door sessions conducted under the Chatham House Rule.

The conference was initiated by Professor Robert van Voren, a renowned human rights advocate, Sovietologist, and Secretary-General of the Federation Global Initiative on Psychiatry. He stressed that the consequences of the war in Ukraine go far beyond the region, challenging the foundations of the post–World War II international security order.