Four years of solidarity with Ukraine
Four years have passed since Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, and EFA’s stand has been persistent, continuing to support Ukraine. In difficult times, festivals are more than cultural gatherings; they are powerful spaces of solidarity, where communities come together to support one another, and EFA recognises that.
As one of EFA’s core values is to raise awareness of current issues and foster a strong sense of responsibility, it continues to actively support Ukrainian artists and festivals through a range of initiatives.
For another year, EFA ensures that their voice is heard, by welcoming them into its festival network and contributing to their vitality through ‘Joining Hands and Hearts: Festivals for Ukraine’.
This initiative encourages EFA’s members to engage in partnerships with a colleague festival in Ukraine and form a new synergy. This was the spark for new cooperation opportunities between different festivals across European countries, while building more heartfelt connections.
Four Ukrainian festivals and one festival organisation were reconducted as EFA Members and benefit from a free membership fee for 2025-2026:
Some other actions undertaken by EFA in support of Ukrainian festivals are:
Ukrainian delegates attended EFA’s Arts Festivals Summit from 27 to 30 April 2025 in Edinburgh:
- Kharkiv Music Fest – Vitali Alekseenok
- ODESSA CLASSICS Music Festival – Alexey Botvinov
- Construction Festival – Dinara Khalilova
Participation in EFA’s Summit allows us to build bridges. More specifically, Franc Faaij, festival manager of Rotterdam Festivals, had the chance to meet Dinara Khalilova and, in this text, talked about the synergy between the Construction Festival from Ukraine and the Rotterdam Festival from the Netherlands.
He mentions: “It was very impressive to hear how a group of young artists and festival makers are creating an exciting and sometimes challenging artistic festival programme for a young audience in a city close to the battlefront in a war-torn country...Showing how important cultural programming and festivals can be in peoples lives. Especially in terrible and difficult times like these...We also discussed (with Dinara) that if it is not possible to go to the Construction Festival, then perhaps we could bring the Construction Festival or part of it to Rotterdam.”
- The agenda of the Arts Festivals Summit 2025 included the topics of ‘artistic freedom’ and ‘The role of arts, culture, and arts festivals in times of conflict’.
- In its fourth Call, the European Fund For Emerging Artists (EFFEA) supported the artistic residency “Common Grounds” made by the Ukrainian-origin filmmaker, Illia Rogovskyi.
- One of the EFAcast video interview explored how the Construction Festival and Culturescapes joined forces through the initiative Joining Hands and Hearts. This EFAcast hosted Dinara Khalilova, PR Manager of Construction Festival, and Jurriaan Cooiman, Founder and Director of Culturescapes festival.
The Festival Academy welcomed three Ukrainian participants to its Ateliers:
- Yulia Didokha, Transalatorium Festival - Atelier San Sebastian
- Oleksandra Sasha Prokopenko, Kyiv International Short Film Festival (KISFF) - Atelier San Sebastian
- Mariia Vorotilina, Spinnerei e.v. / enter - akademie Chemnitz - Atelier Chemnitz
Ukrainian artists have received significant recognition for their work, especially Alexey Botvinov.
Alexey is a pianist and the founder and president of the EFA Member International Music Festival Odessa Classics. He was awarded the Order of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany/ Auswärtiges Amt in November 2025.
The award was given to him in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts and to cultural diplomacy between Ukraine and Germany over the past three decades.
He was described as “a person who builds bridges and is committed to peace and cultural freedom across national borders.” The award also honours his leadership of Odessa Classics, a Ukrainian festival which has been in exile since 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite these challenging circumstances, the festival has continued across Europe through collaborations with other festivals, some of which have been made possible through "Joining Hands and Hearts".
> See the full post and the photo that was used here.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to present serious challenges, EFA and its members remain firmly committed to providing continuous support.
Looking ahead, EFA has already taken the first steps to ensure its continued support for Ukrainian artists and festivals, including the renewal of free membership for 2026. With EFA’s support, new synergies have formed and new initiatives have been developed within festival frameworks across Europe, providing Ukrainian artists with platforms for performances, collaborations, discussions, and residencies.
These initiatives not only create meaningful opportunities for Ukrainian artists and festivals, but also reinforce the role of festivals as pillars of hope. In times of such intense crisis, arts and culture strengthen our connections and unite people together in solidarity.