Civil Resistance Forum 2025: 2nd edition

EXPLORING CIVIL RESISTANCE

The Lithuanian community in Cyprus, in collaboration with the Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship, is proud to present the second edition of the Civil Resistance Forum, taking place on 26 September 2025 in Nicosia, Cyprus (University of Cyprus).

This year, the forum will unite voices from Cyprus, Ukraine, and Lithuania to explore how our societies confront and resist occupation, disinformation, cultural erasure and authoritarian narratives through activism, education, media, technology and the arts.

By drawing on the experiences of all three countries, we aim to identify common challenges, highlight successful strategies and strengthen cross-border solidarity. Together, we will examine the threats to democratic values and explore how civil resistance can be a force for truth, dignity and freedom.

Key topics include:

Propaganda and disinformation – and the role of media, culture, and sports in shaping public perception
Cybersecurity and AI – how technology is used in conflict, surveillance, and resistance
Cultural and psychological warfare, colonial legacies and identity
Decolonisation and post-imperial resistance – challenging dominant narratives and reclaiming sovereignty
Art, memory and civic courage as powerful tools of nonviolent resistance

The programme will feature individual speeches from respected academics, activists and practitioners, as well as panel discussions for in-depth exchange.

Here you can find a full program of the Civil Resistance Forum.

Check our Facebook Event for more updates.

Fill out the application form by the 24th of September 2025, and secure your place at the forum.

Join us for a day of learning, networking and inspiration as we work together to build a more resilient and democratic future!

Speakers and Discussion Moderators

Kazimieras Sadauskas

Cybersecurity expert, CEO, Co-founder, CBRX

Kazimieras Sadauskas, is a leading authority in cybersecurity – an expert renowned for his work in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), and advanced security solutions. With almost a decade of hands-on experience leveraging artificial intelligence in defence and intelligence environments, Kazimieras stands at the forefront of innovative approaches to digital defence.

Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos

CEO/ Senior Consultant/ International Security & Strategy

Dr. Marios P. Efthymiopoulos is an expert in international security and strategic affairs. His capabilities and capacities have been developed through his life experiences, holding extensive national and international, multidisciplinary approaches and field experiences, in a variety of related fields.

Alkas Paltarokas

CEO/ Public relations/Communication expert

Alkas Paltarokas is the director of the NGO „Strategic Initiative Center” in Lithuania and an expert on hybrid warfare, disinformation, and security. He also leads the „Put In Jail” and „Vanago Lietuva”, other projects worldwide. A. Paltarokas is an entrepreneur and leader of civil society initiatives.

Dr. Michael Sirivianos

Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology of the Cyprus University of Technology; Scientific Coordinator of Fact Check Cyprus

He holds a PhD from Duke University since 2010. His research interests include trust-aware design of distributed systems, device-centric authentication, federated identity management, discrimination based on personal data, cybersafety (cyberbullying detection, cybergrooming detection, characterisation and detection of hate speech, detection of inappropriate videos targeting young children, and characterisation and suppression of false information), transactional workload scalability, and measurement of blockchain systems.

Ksenia Mukhortova

Ukrainian community leader and activist / Co-founder of UKRCY.news

Since 2014, an activist of the Ukrainian community in Cyprus, President of the Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship, co-founder of the first Ukrainian media in Cyprus, UKRCY.news, and co-founder of the Ukrainian scout group – Plast Cyprus.

Lyolya Filimonova

Ukrainian activist/ PR & Communications Coordinator of the Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship and ambassadress of Ukrainian culture in Cyprus

Since May 2022, Lyolya has been a cultural lecturer and community leader in Larnaca, managing the „Larnaca Ukrainians” Telegram Channel and serving as PR & Communications Coordinator for the Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship. With over 13 years in project management and tourism, including promoting Ukrainian cinema in Cyprus, she has organised over 150 pro-Ukrainian events and led 15+ international flash mobs. Lyolya also manages the Anchor-Heart of Odesa memorial, founded the „Wandering Brotherhood of Vasyl Hryhorovych-Barsky” project, and maintains a 250+ book Ukrainian section at Oroklini Municipal Library.

Dr. Olesia Gorbun

International law of the sea lecturer / legal researcher/consultant on international and EU law

Dr. Olesia Gorbun is a lecturer in International Law of the Sea at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania and a consultant on international and EU law. She has carried out legal research at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Germany and actively contributes to international research networks. Her expertise combines academic scholarship and practical consultancy, with a focus on dispute settlement, international compliance, and cross-border legal challenges.

Prof. Yiannis Papadakis

Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cyprus

He has worked on issues of memory, nationalism, ethnic conflict, borders and migration. He is author of Echoes from the Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide (I. B. Tauris, 2005, also translated in Greek and Turkish), co-editor of Divided Cyprus: Modernity, History and an Island in Conflict (Indiana University Press, 2006), editor of a 2006 special issue of Postcolonial Studies and co-editor of Cypriot Cinemas: Memory, Conflict and Identity in the Margins of Europe (Bloomsbury, 2014), among others.

Dr. Loizos Kapsalis

History Education Project Officer

Loizos Kapsalis is currently History Education Officer at the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR). He completed his PhD in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at King’s College London in 2019. Before joining the AHDR, he held research and teaching positions at King’s College London, the European University of Cyprus and the University of Cyprus.

Marios Michaelides

Researcher

Huseyin Gurshan and Marios Michaelides have worked closely together for more than three decades (1994 – today), initially as members of the Cyprus Bicommunal Conflict Resolution Trainers Group – Search. At the time, there were no crossings and no opportunities for Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots to meet. The group was able to meet with the support of the United Nations and the Cyprus Fulbright Commission Bicommunal Conflict Resolution Group (Project Leaders I) – Future Worlds Centre Wiki. The groups’ meeting and workshops were facilitated by Professor Benjamin Broome, employing a unique consensus-building methodology. After hard work and difficult discussions, the Group produced a common vision for the peace activities in Cyprus. Reaching across the Dividing Line: Building a Collective Vision for Peace in Cyprus on JSTOR

Huseyin Gurshan

Researcher

Doğa K. Avseven

Education Project Officer

Now a PhD candidate, Doğa K. Avseven holds degrees in Social Psychology and Peace Studies from Loughborough University and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Before joining AHDR as an Education Project Officer, he worked with several international and local organisations, including UNDP, EFPSA and Step Out Cyprus.

Boris Demash

Journalist/ Founder of Cyprus Daily News

Boris Demash is a journalist who moved to Cyprus in 2010. He founded Cyprus Daily News in 2018, and his investigative articles have exposed Russian agents and influenced government discussions. He has actively supported Ukraine by highlighting Russian atrocities to the Cypriot public..

Alona Tatarova

Political Scientist and Strategic Communication Specialist

Alona Tatarova is the Executive Director of the Institute for Fiscal and Economic Studies (IFES), where she leads initiatives promoting economic literacy and fiscal responsibility in Greece. A political scientist and strategic communication specialist by training, she previously served as Communications Director at the Centre for Liberal Studies (KEFiM) and as Project Coordinator and Head of the Greece and Cyprus Office at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF). Since 2022, she has been actively engaged in advocacy on Ukraine, supporting solidarity actions and research initiatives.

Alesia Parkhomenka

Representative of the Democratic Embassy of Belarus in Cyprus

Alesia Parkhomenka is the representative of the Democratic Embassy of Belarus in Cyprus, working to support and protect the Belarusian diaspora forced into exile by political repression. She engages with Cypriot authorities and diplomatic missions, assists Belarusians with legalisation and integration, and coordinates cultural and solidarity initiatives.

Yuliya Vertova

Journalist/ Copywriter/ Documentary director/ Event host

Yuliya Vertova is a dedicated and creative journalist with over 25 years of professional experience across print, radio, television, and digital media in both Cyprus and Ukraine. In addition to her journalistic work, she has built a strong profile as a copywriter and documentary director, bringing complex stories to life through engaging narratives. Yuliya is also well known in Cyprus as the host of high-profile public and entertainment events, where her professionalism and presence have earned her wide recognition.