 Good afternoon everybody, and you're all very welcome to this event at the Institute this afternoon. My name is Alex White, Director General here at the Institute of International European Affairs. As I said, you're all really welcome, whether in the room or online. We're really pleased to be joined this afternoon by Yevgeny Afonitsky, the prolific documentary maker and activist. I'll tell you a little bit more about Yevgeny in a couple of minutes. And but we're first of all just to welcome you and look forward to hearing from you shortly. Just let me tell you just in a couple of quick words what's going to happen. And we'll be here for about an hour or so. And we're going to have at the outset and we're delighted to have our present Ambassador Claire Cronin Ambassador of the United States to Ireland, very welcome to open the session with some brief introductory remarks. Following this, I'll introduce Yevgeny, tell you a little bit more about him before he speaks. He'll probably speak to us for about a half an hour or so. And then we'll have a Q&A with the audience again both here in the room and online. So if you're watching on Zoom, you can use the Q&A function. If you're in the room, you can just do the old simple approach of putting your hand up and all I have to do is just spot you and invite you to ask your question. We look forward to that. And so you can send questions in by the way if you are on Zoom was that just give you a slight advantage you can send questions in in the course of the session. So you don't have to wait until the end that you can send them in at any point, and we've come to them once again he has finished his presentation. I would ask, as is the convention, ask you to indicate an affiliation, if you have one when you're posing a question and reminded that our presentation today and the Q&A both on the record. But feel free by the way to join in on Twitter, if that suits you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Alex. It's my pleasure to be here. And I also want to say I am so delighted to be here with my friend and fellow diplomats and gats that are from Ukraine. I can personally say that when I first met Larissa last February, it was in some of the darkest days when Rafa had just invaded Ukraine. This woman has not stopped for one waking minute than advocating so steadily, and with such passion and strength for her company, country as anyone I've ever seen. And every country could be so lucky is to have someone so committed working on their behalf. And so let's give Larissa a little. We stay back at home to the real deal, really is. So, but thank you for inviting me here and thank you for hosting. Yeah, Jenny. So that we can all understand that the plight of the Ukrainian people since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine over a year ago. The American people stand with Ukraine and President Biden has committed to support Ukraine for as long as it takes unchecked aggression is a threat to all of us. The United States is part of a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Pacific that have stood up to help Ukraine defend itself with unprecedented military, economic and humanitarian support with bipartisan support and Congress. The American people are delivering billions in direct budgetary support for the government of Ukraine to provide for basic services to Ukrainian citizens. We also commend the generosity of our allies and partners in Europe, who have welcomed more than 8 million displaced people from Ukraine, and who remain committed to helping the people of Ukraine. And I would particularly like to thank the people of Ireland for their Herculean efforts and endeavors in providing such a warm welcome to the people of Ukraine. President Biden told President Zelensky during his recent trip to Kiev. And what he said was this, you remind us that freedom is priceless. It's worth fighting for and for as long as it takes. And that's our commitment. The United States will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. In freedom on fire, we get to witness the heroic efforts of Ukrainian men, women and children, enduring a brutal existence due to Russia's unjust invasion of Ukraine. I want to particularly thank Yevgeny for shining a light on the plight of the Ukrainian people for all of us and look forward to the continued discussion. So thank you very much for your work. And you mentioned the presence of Ambassador Grasko and obviously we're so pleased that you're with us this afternoon as well and we'll have an opportunity to make some closing remarks at the end of this session and we're really particularly pleased and you're so welcome here to the audience and to the institutions this afternoon. And just a word about Yevgeny, before we hear directly from him. And he was born in the Russian city of Kazan, when it was part of the, the old USSR. humanitarian and activist. He's directed a number of documentaries, such as Winter on Fire, Ukraine's Fight for Freedom that was in 2015, and cries from Syria, 2017, Francesco 2020, and of course Freedom on Fire, Ukraine's Fight for Freedom 2022, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. His work has received nominations for an Oscar, a PGA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four news and documentary Emmy Awards. He's also received a People's Choice Award for Best Documentary from the Toronto International Film Festival, a Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best Director, an Overseas Press Club Award, and a Television Academy Honors Award. We had to make, we had to reduce the list, we couldn't be here sort of too long with the lengthy list of achievements and honors. So it's a great pleasure for us to have you here this afternoon, Yvgeny, and I'm going to hand the floor to you for your remarks, and we look forward to hearing what you have to say. So welcome. Thank you. Do you want to show a trailer or do you want to make a trailer? This is a trailer. It was very, very bad when we were forced to do it. I was just sitting there and thinking about dying without any illness. I was free from my life, I was free from my job, I was free from everything, I was free from everything. You are the state, you are the fascist, what did you do? You can't stop him all over the world. We are always glad to have people here. And all the people who came to visit us, they are glad to see me. I don't know, I haven't seen anything for 19 years. He told me, well, who? Well, who? And if we don't, we won't protect you. We are united now, and I am very proud of what we have. We are starting if you are interested to see all movies tonight at the UCD. Six o'clock is the representation of the full movie. Now, tonight it's a different version than we presented at the Venice, because when we presented it in the Venice, director of the Venice Film Festival said, it's instant cinema. And I hope you don't need to update it quite often. It's his hope that the war will be over soon. But unfortunately, we recently updated the version specifically for the ninth anniversary of the war and the first anniversary of the full scale invasion. I think one of the key elements for me making this movie is to remind to the gold that everything what happened between 2014 and 22 somehow was left behind. And that's what left behind led to Putin start this unprecedented war, let's say full scale invasion, because the real war started in 2014 with the winning of Maidan. And I think that's the missing piece in a puzzle that the world somehow forgot, neglected. Neglected for many reasons. I'm not blaming the European community or anybody else, but we neglected this. And that's allowed crimes being unpunished and for Putin to unleash the full scale invasion. And I think today we are standing at the red line where it is important not to neglect it again, not to forget that every day this war takes lives of the people, civilian people. It is important that Ukrainian people, they're fighting for freedom of the rest of the world. They're fighting for our values. They're fighting for values, democratic values, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, free democratic society that they want to be a part of, that Europe living. It's beautiful words that our ambassador just said, we literally need to remind to the people that to lose freedom, to lose values is like this, very easy to gain them. It's always with the blood, people giving their lives. In the United States, sometimes people forgetting that our funding fathers of the United States gave their lives for our democracy. And some people in the young generation taking things for granted. I think we need to remind to the entire Europe that to lose the democratic values, to lose freedom is easy to gain. That's what's happening in Ukraine. They're fighting for this freedom. They're fighting for these democratic values and they're giving their lives. And they've been doing this for the last nine years, not just one year. One year that the whole world right now started to pay attention. But what's happened before? Why we were so comfortable in our comfort zones and not were paying attention to this war? Why we even allowed for this escalation happened? And that's the biggest question. And I think for me as a filmmaker, seeing the urgency not to allow to the world again go back to the comfort zone. Not to allow the world again back to the situation that, yes, it's there. It's happening in Ukraine and between Ukraine and Russia. No, it's not happening between Ukraine and Russia. It's happening in the world because for me, from my observation, it is World War Three. It's the beginning of World War Three and Ukraine today representing the free society of this world. They're fighting for all of us. I guess the world for God that every century have a dictator with the imperialistic ambition. 1812 we had Napoleon who had imperialistic ambition. We know what what's happened how it ended. 1939-1945 we had Hitler who had his imperialistic ambition and we saw how it ended. I guess this specific century have another imperialist and dictator who trying to execute exactly the same situation that was centuries every century. And I think the world need to understand that it's the duty of each and every person in this world to stand against this monster and together, literally together we can win this battle and together we can achieve the victory together with the Ukrainian nation. So I guess that's from my perspective as a filmmaker. Now another aspect that you can see in the movie that I guess we less and less talking in the media, it's the hybrid war. Today's war is not just a war with the bombs, with the missiles where civilians are dying. Today, there is another aspect to this war. It's a media. The hybrid war divided us. The hybrid war have also aspect that the media, the camera, the world became a weapon. In Russia, literally using all the playbook that Gables created in 1939 about propaganda. Russia masterfully adopted this book. Not only Russia, I guess every dictator in this world using the same playbook. And that's what called World War Three, because we may say, no, it's all about Ukraine, Russia, no, for propaganda to pierce the borders of Shingen, Ireland, European Union, they don't need visa for propaganda to pierce into the United States, the easy pass our immigration. propaganda don't need visa propaganda can easy go into our homes and destroy the intellectuals. Yesterday we're discussing about friends that we lost in former Soviet Union. I have friends who told me interesting stories. At the beginning of last year's invasion, they started to receive calls from their former friends with whom they were in schools in Russia. And these calls were, you guys don't worry, we will liberate you from the Nazis soon. How absurd it can be when relatives or friends calling you from Russia to Ukraine and telling this bullshit. That's what propaganda does. We always need to remember that it was invented by Gables and adopted by many dictators. So today war have two parts, bombs that kill civilians and media that poisoning the brains and destroying people. And it's a very dangerous weapon in today's world. I remember when I was capturing stories in Syria in 2016, and you mentioned my movie Christ from Syria. I remember how Syrians literally said that camera became a weapon. We also need to be reminded that Russia took a huge part of the Syrian campaign on the side of us. And that's why today we have one enemy in the world. And it's Russia. We also need to remember that at the end of the day, today's situation in Ukraine, it's a case study for dictators. Same China observing what will be the reaction of the world in terms of Ukraine. Will the world stand with Ukraine or nothing will happen. So then it opens hands for China to take over Taiwan. And then there is more and more dictators can continue these campaigns. So I think today we are at the moment in the history where we need to show solidarity for the world. You mentioned my movie Winch on Fire. You know what was beautiful lesson in Winch on Fire? Unified Ukraine. When young and old, rich and poor, different religious groups, heads of different religious groups all together on Maidan came to show the will, will of the people, and to stand for their values. A beautiful, something that, you know what, I never was even imagining that possible or exist in the nature of a human being. Unity, unity, unity. No matter what is your social background, what is your religious beliefs, what is your age. Together they proved that they can achieve this goal. And that was the most prolific lesson for me. My wife was studied in Russia. I finished school in Russia and I immigrated to Israel. But when I was studying school in Russia, we were studying Marxism and Leninism and all what talks about the revolution. So in studies that I had in the knowledge that I received in the school, it was telling us that it's not possible to have rich and poor together. They're always one against each other. And that was the situation that lead to 1917 Russian revolution. But all of a sudden I saw it. I saw it on Maidan. Same time. I saw on Maidan something unbelievably unusual for me. I was raised in Israel where I saw all these inter-religious fights in Jerusalem between all different religious groups. I saw people from different religious groups together on Maidan. When you have one head of this church, another head of the church, side by side praying with the people. Without talking to people, oh, you need to join our church or opening for the student doors of Mikhailovsky Monastery and saying, now you see what church can do, be with us. No, they just opened and saved students. What are these students? So all the elements of the society were such a great role model for me that I documented this in a great documentary of Inch on Fire, which actually became a manual for revolution for Hong Kong 2019, for Chile, for Venezuela, for Nicaragua, for Lebanon. It was great because the spirit of Ukrainian nation, the ability to stand against oppression, dictatorship, were so universal that people all over the world, no matter what culture or language, they adopted this. And that was the beauty that I learned and I documented. So that's why when we're trying to seek role models in our society, Ukraine definitely have these elements that we can take and learn. And at the same time, it just shows to us that in 2013, 2014, Ukraine, with their blood, proved their loyalty to the European Union, proved their loyalty to the democratic society, heavenly hundred who gave their lives just to have the future of Ukraine be here in the European Union, is the Western world, is the free democratic society. Again, I can talk a lot, but I am filmmaker so I would love to invite all of you tonight to see the movie, because a lot of elements that I'm talking are in a movie. I did went back to Maidan to 2013-14 in a movie, in a present movie that you guys can watch tonight with us at the premiere. And I tried to show all these nine years of the war that literally were dropped in history. I tried to show the atrocities that are happening right now in Mariupol, in Buca. I tried to show elements like Donetsk airport, who was lost in a history, but is a painful moment in a history of Ukrainian nation, where soldiers were even given nickname cyborgs, because they stood for this little piece of land. They stood and they fulfilled their duty, despite all the difficulties. So for me, I tried to educate audience from my movie, same time to point to all the aspects of this war that I call World War 3 of 21st century. I tried to educate, I tried to activate brains of the people with the visual image, and I tried to connect mothers of Ukraine to ordinary mothers across the globe. Journalists, my main character is the journalist, war journalist, to the journalism across the globe, because today truth is a commodity. Today truth is very important weapon. In 2022, last year, March, April, the most big amounts of journalists, photojournalists and documentarians were killed in Ukraine. Because Russian soldiers were hunting us. It's a truth. Why do you allow the truth go wide? Why? It's exactly what Gebel said. Truth is an enemy of the state. So why allow the truth to go wide? So a lot of journalists, a lot of photojournalists, Ukrainian and international were killed specifically in March, April, last year. And that's why for me, my main character, like Natasha, who is war journalist, was really important. And I actually met her long time ago. She was also on my done. So for me, many characters helping me to bring all these nine years into the action in front of you. I'm trying to connect doctors who are trying to save lives without anything in their hands to the ordinary doctors who have everything in their hospitals. I'm trying to connect volunteers, priests, kids, soldiers to everybody across the globe. So people through the normal stories, but just inside of the war, can all of a sudden understand what Ukrainian nation living day by day. I'm praying that tomorrow they can wake up and no kamikaze drone or missile will hit their homes or homes of their relatives. Recently I heard from some soldier who said, you know what? You're not only praying for yourself when you are serving military that you will be alive tomorrow, but you're praying for your family. Because no matter how far they are inside the country, the missile still gets to your home. And maybe tomorrow you are still alive, but your wife and your child not. That's how crazy is this war. Because in our traditional mind, when we see movies about Second World War, the voice frontline, no, this war is not only frontline. It's everywhere in Ukraine. So I guess I rather go to the questions. I will answer your questions. And I again would love to invite you all to watch the movie. Because for me, it's important to learn to see what I witnessed through my eyes, through eyes of my cameraman. To be with my characters in Mariupol when he was besieged under this as of steel plant inside of these bomb shelters with the little kids who are three months old and see what it is to be inside of this war. What is this to survive? What is this to go through these circles of hell that Russia copied specifically from the Second World War from the Nazis, calling themselves anti-Nazis, which is completely absurd. Okay. Thank you. I'm going to ask, it's my pleasure actually to ask Ambassador Lariska Goraskov, Ambassador of Ukraine to make some closing remarks and you're once again Ambassador you're very welcome. Good afternoon. The outset. I want to express my gratitude to the IAA, the Embassy of the USA and personal to my colleague and friend, Claire Cronin for organizing this event. Thank you so much. The Evgeniy's passion and talent have captured the parts of millions with his 2016's documentary Winter on Fire, Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, which Evgeniy mentioned. Back then, inspiring story of the revolution of dignity in Ukraine in 2014. As we all know, the same year Russia launched war against Ukraine, invading and occupying our Eastern territories and Crimea as well. For nine long years, Ukrainians have been fighting for their freedom and independence, and Evgeniy shows it in his latest work, Freedom on Fire. Thank you Evgeniy for keeping in focus the issue of Ukraine's fight for our existence and our freedom and our future. Thank you so much. Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, a few days ago on 24th of February, we marked one year since Russia's full scale invasion of our country had begun. And as we discussed today, the only reason for the unprovoked aggression was Putin's near imperial ambitions. Most claimed Ukraine would only last a few days, but in reality, Ukrainians have not only stopped the invasion, but have also been able to free nearly half of our newly occupied territories. The growing aftermath of the occupation that was revealed on the liberated territories showed the true genocidal phase of Russia. And it is clearly shown in Evgeniy's film, sense of deliberated attacks on civilians, forceful deportation, kidnapping and many more crimes against the humanity. The Putin's plans to destroy Ukrainian statehood have failed. Ukraine will never give up on freedom, on our European search for humanity, with respect for democratic values and international law. There is no doubt Russia's crime of aggression against Ukraine must be punished according to the international law. And our country is making every effort to establish a special tribunal to try Russia's political and military leaders as well as its allies for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, not only ICC, which we discussed earlier. All of the atrocities we are witnessing today are the results of the crime of aggression, and we must address the root cause rather than just the symptoms. For more than a year, Ukraine is defending democratic values for future generation, not only our statehood. We are fighting and we are struggling for your future as well, for future and security of the whole Europe. And there is no compromise on our territorial integrity. We won't agree to anything that keeps Ukrainian territories occupied and puts our people at the aggressor's mercy. Russia must be stopped now because the aggressors would lead to more atrocities elsewhere, not only in Ukraine, but elsewhere. Nobody should be misled by Russia's empty calls for negotiations. Russia continues to commit genocide against the Ukrainian people. And what we discussed and what Yevgeniy said, Ukraine united democratic countries. Now our coalition consists of 54 countries, and we are grateful to Ireland, to the USA, to all our partners for supporting our ongoing struggle. The sooner and the more security assistance Ukraine gets now, the sooner the war will end with a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. Neither Ukraine nor anybody else is interested in protracted war of attrition that will increase casualties and demand additional resources. That is why we urge the world community to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to achieve our common victory. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ambassador Grasko. Thank you also to Ambassador Cronin. Thank you all for your attendance, for your questions, for your interest. And thanks in particular to Yevgeniy for giving us an insight into his work as a documentary maker, and also his work as an activist. And I think you've told us about both with great strength and passion. Thank you. Thank you very much. And we all look forward to seeing the film. And I look forward to seeing you all again sometime soon, right here. Thank you all. Thank you.