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Between June 14–16, 2025, during the European Youth Event in Strasbourg, an incident took place that the Voices of Children Foundation cannot ignore.
Russian national Daria Navalnaya was invited to deliver the keynote inspirational speech at the summit. Organizers made a point of presenting her speech as the focal highlight of this year’s event. In protest, the Ukrainian delegation left the summit.
That is the plain summary of what happened last Saturday.
Now, let us share what we see every day in our work with teenagers and young people in Ukraine.
When a representative of the aggressor state is given the main stage at a European forum — someone who promotes narratives at odds with democratic principles and universal human values — it blurs the moral boundaries between right and wrong in the European context.
That is the plain summary of what happened last Saturday.
Now, let us share what we see every day in our work with teenagers and young people in Ukraine.
When a representative of the aggressor state is given the main stage at a European forum — someone who promotes narratives at odds with democratic principles and universal human values — it blurs the moral boundaries between right and wrong in the European context.
For Ukrainian teenagers living in the reality of war, this is not just a “symbolic gesture.” It is an event that deepens feelings of helplessness, injustice, isolation, and futility. It echoes the same sense of being unheard that they so often express during therapy sessions and in support groups.
It retraumatizes.
It demoralizes.
It harms their mental health.
And perhaps worst of all, it strips away the fragile sense of agency we’ve been working so hard to rebuild, together.
While hundreds of Ukrainian teenagers remain at home under shelling, studying, supporting each other through peer networks, demonstrating strength and resilience, they are forced to witness that none of this seems to be enough to be seen or heard on the international stage.
Instead, the spotlight is given to someone living in safety, a citizen of the aggressor country, who has publicly stated that she "wouldn’t shout about being in opposition at school."
This is not just a misguided choice — it sends a confusing message.
It’s an event that retraumatizes.
It retraumatizes.
It demoralizes.
It harms their mental health.
And perhaps worst of all, it strips away the fragile sense of agency we’ve been working so hard to rebuild, together.
While hundreds of Ukrainian teenagers remain at home under shelling, studying, supporting each other through peer networks, demonstrating strength and resilience, they are forced to witness that none of this seems to be enough to be seen or heard on the international stage.
Instead, the spotlight is given to someone living in safety, a citizen of the aggressor country, who has publicly stated that she "wouldn’t shout about being in opposition at school."
This is not just a misguided choice — it sends a confusing message.
It’s an event that retraumatizes.
We at the Voices of Children Foundation want to say to our children and teenagers:
We hear you.
We see you.
We stand with you.
Your voice matters. Your actions matter. We have always been and will always remain by your side.
If you need support, a listening ear, or simply a space where you can be heard, please reach out to any of the Voices of Children Foundation’s centers, or contact our remote support hotline: 0800210106.
We see you.
We stand with you.
Your voice matters. Your actions matter. We have always been and will always remain by your side.
If you need support, a listening ear, or simply a space where you can be heard, please reach out to any of the Voices of Children Foundation’s centers, or contact our remote support hotline: 0800210106.
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