Lesia Ogryzko is a visiting fellow with the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She leads a Ukrainian think-tank on security and defence, Sahaidachnyi Security Center, and is board member of Ukraine’s biggest expert coalition on the country’s reconstruction, RISE Ukraine. Previously, Ogryzko served as international civil servant across the UN system, dealing with human rights and the coordination of UN agencies in Ukraine. She also worked for the Ukrainian government on the implementation of reforms, including in public administration for the cabinet of ministers’ reforms delivery office. She is also the co-founder of several civic initiatives, as well as the Ukrainian office of the humanitarian international NGO Save the Children. Prior to that, Ogryzko worked for the Spanish think-tank FRIDE, researching international affairs. She is the author of numerous publications in international media on the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and the country’s civil society.Ogryzko holds an MA in international relations and security studies from the Institute of international relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and an MA in European public affairs from the Maastricht University, the Netherlands.----------LINKS:https://ecfr.eu/profile/lesia-ogryzko/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesia-ogryzko-33285163/https://x.com/ogryzko_lhttps://ecfr.eu/profile/lesia-ogryzko/type/media/https://defence.org.ua/en/tag/lesia-ogryzko/----------The Steel Porcupine https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/I’m proud to say that this series of ‘Ukrainian advent’ interviews is supported by The Steel Porcupine – a unique and powerful film about a country that refuses to lie down, a people who turned themselves into a fortress of needles when Russian tanks rolled in. The Steel Porcupine is an unforgettable cinematic experience that exposes Russia's campaign of extermination in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people's spirit to resist and prevail. It follows soldiers, volunteers and people who decided that survival meant resistance, not submission.Created by the makers of the acclaimed To the Zero Line, this is another film about humanity, that clearly states there is no such thing as neutrality when war crimes are being committed systematically by Russia, and on a scale in Europe only comparable to World War Two. Set to a haunting soundtrack featuring music by Philip Glass, and blending rare archival footage with original material, it is an impactful work of art and storytelling, as well as being informative.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------