On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the Socialist Party and Member of Parliament, and Nora Mebarek, Member of the European Parliament, travelled to Ukraine to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and meet with political leaders and representatives of civil society.
In Bucha, a city forever marked by the atrocities committed during the Russian occupation, the French delegation paid tribute to the victims alongside Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk and Member of Parliament Volodymyr Tsabal. In the church, photographs of the 554 civilians—women, men, and children—who were executed, some after being tortured, raped, or burned, bear witness to the atrocities committed against the civilian population.
In Kyiv, the delegation visited a Point of Invincibility, gaining firsthand insight into the daily challenges faced by residents coping with power and heating outages caused by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. These centres provide a place to keep warm, charge electronic devices, and continue working when electricity is available for only a few hours each day.
Meetings with Alla Solod (Come Back Alive), Tetyana Filevska (Ukrainian Institute), Yevheniia Kuleba (Garden City), Olena Pavlenko (DiXi Group), and Liza German (The Naked Room) highlighted the vitality of Ukrainian civil society. Each spoke about the determination of cultural and civic organisations to preserve and promote Ukrainian culture despite the war. The upcoming Ukraine Season in France, organised in partnership with the French Institute, was also discussed as a symbol of European cultural dialogue.
The French delegation took part in the commemoration held on Maidan Square on 24 February, alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to honour the victims of Russia’s invasion.
Discussions with Oleksandr Kornienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and Member of Parliament Lesia Vasylenko focused on strengthening parliamentary ties between France and Ukraine. A meeting with Alona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development, addressed the challenges of economic recovery and energy resilience.
Olivier Faure and Nora Mebarek also met with members of the French community at the French Embassy in Kyiv, in the presence of Ambassador Gaël Veyssière, to discuss daily life in a country at war and the ongoing cooperation between France and Ukraine.
The visit concluded with a demonstration of the interceptor drone developed by Alta Ares, a French company specialising in AI-powered counter-drone systems, highlighting the growing importance of European technological sovereignty.
Despite constant air raid alerts and power outages, life continues in Kyiv. Ukrainian society remains resilient and is already looking ahead to reconstruction.
