Speakers:

– Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

– Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairman, Centre for Defense Strategies

– Dietmar Nietan, Member of the German Bundestag

– Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges holds the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis

– Petro Beshta, Director General of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Moderator: Bruno Lete, Senior Fellow at German Marshall Fund of the United States.

During the discussion, Anton Korynevych outlined the policy of militarization in the Black Sea region, carried out by the Russian Federation from the very beginning of the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

In particular, it was noted that Russia has turned the Ukrainian peninsula into a powerful military base with modern weapons capable of striking the territories of other states, not only in the Black Sea region, but also southern and eastern Europe. In addition, the Permanent Representative focused on violations of international humanitarian law, in particular, compulsory conscription into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, imposing Russian citizenship and displacement of the population, militarization of the educational process and propaganda of war among children and youth.