An international conference convened by the B4Ukraine Coalition will take place in Kyiv on 26th of April 2026 to strengthen civil society strategies to undermine Russia’s war machine and advance accountability for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The conference will bring together coalition members — including IPHR, the Business and Human Rights Centre, NAKO, ESCU, KSE Institute, and many others — along with representatives of broader civil society, policymakers, and international partners.
It will focus on assessing the effectiveness of strategies deployed by our network since 2022 — including sanctions, corporate accountability, enforcement, litigation, etc. — and on identifying priorities for strengthening economic pressure and accountability moving forward.
The event will be open to invited external participants and will feature high-level panels, expert discussions, and exchanges with Ukrainian and international stakeholders.
Background
More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a wide range of non-military strategies have been deployed to undermine Russia’s ability to wage war.
Sanctions have been a critical pillar of this effort, but they are only one dimension of a broader ecosystem of pressure. Civil society — both Ukrainian and international — has played a decisive role across this ecosystem: documenting violations, exposing corporate enablers, pursuing litigation, supporting accountability mechanisms, and shaping public and political narratives.
B4Ukraine has been central to these efforts. As a coalition of more than 100 civil society organizations, B4Ukraine has helped:
- Drive corporate exits and reduce Western capital, technology, and services available to Russia
- Expose ongoing corporate, financial, and logistical complicity in Russia’s war
- Advance accountability for war crimes, sanctions violations, and war profiteering
- Strengthen enforcement debates and raise the political cost of backsliding
- Contribute directly to efforts to defund, disarm, and isolate Russia’s war machine
These strategies have produced real impact — but they have also revealed limitations. Circumvention networks have adapted; some companies remain entrenched; enforcement is uneven; and accountability mechanisms move slowly. At the same time, the current geopolitical climate introduces additional uncertainty. Sanctions regimes may be weakened or lifted as part of, or in parallel to, so-called “peace negotiations,” underscoring the need for strategies that extend beyond sanctions alone.
Press Contact:
Denys Svyrydenkov