Ukrainian journalists join Vail Symposium to discuss the impact of war

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens continue to fight and struggle against violence, misinformation and a lack of resources.

However, there continue to be stories of resilience and determination. Ukrainian journalist Elina Beketova, a fellow with the Democratic Resilience program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, will share her perspective on the ongoing conflict and its impact on those on the ground in Ukraine on Thursday, March 6, at a Vail Symposium forum at the Eagle River Presbyterian Church in Avon. Beketova started her career as a print journalist in Crimea. She also worked as a journalist, editor, and TV anchor for different news stations in Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Beketova will be joined in a moderated conversation by Natalia Feduschak, a former Kyiv Post staff writer who has written for leading publications, including the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Washington Times and the Denver Post.

“Vail Symposium believes that our lives are enriched through education, our relationships are deepened through empathy, and our society is bolstered by civil discourse,” said Vail Symposium Executive Director James Kenly, “and we hope that this conversation serves each of those aspirational outcomes.”

Beketova will offer attendees a look into life in both Russian-occupied and Ukrainian-controlled territories, including the changing of Ukrainian textbooks for Russian texts and the struggle of families to try and access accurate information. She will tell the stories of the people who remain in Ukraine, facing violence and detention as they try to navigate an ongoing conflict. She will place the invasion of Ukraine in the perspective of European security and answer the question, “Why is it important on a global scale to liberate all of the occupied territories in Ukraine?”

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The war in Ukraine impacts everyone in the United States — including Eagle County. Kelli Rohrig, president of Limbs for Liberty, originally went to Poland at the beginning of the war to deliver humanitarian aid and to help with refugees. Working with her nonprofit has given Rohrig an up-close-and-personal view of the war as an American. 

“Russia bombs Ukraine indiscriminately and with impunity. Civilians go weeks without being able to sleep through the night due to air raids and bombings. Soldiers live in trenches without all of the modern military supplies that Western units have,” Rohrig says. “There is a constant need for basics like warm clothing, body armor, medical supplies and other items we take for granted and assume that a modern society is able to provide.”

Just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Trump at the White House, this up-to-date program will focus on both the daily lives and global policy impacts of the ongoing struggle in Ukraine.