Being on location in Kyiv for TriSovereign means more than just managing logistics and assessing risk. To do our job well, we have to actually understand the place we’re standing in. That’s why our Business Development Director, Jeffrey Pagels, spent the evening at the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House for a commemorative event that hit home for everyone in the room.
The night was dedicated to the “Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred” and the 12th anniversary of when the war really began back in 2014. It wasn’t a corporate mixer or a formal briefing. It was an evening of raw history and art.
Beyond the Numbers
Jeffrey spent time walking through the exhibition “Point of No Return” by artist Kateryna Doroshyna. Her work captures that specific, heavy moment in 2014 when the country decided there was no going back to the way things were. For us at TriSovereign, seeing the transformation of Ukraine through Kateryna’s eyes adds a layer of perspective you just can’t get from a sitrep or a data feed. It’s about the grit and the “internal fire” that we see in our partners here every single day.
Cameras as Weapons
The centerpiece of the night was a screening of Stronger Than Arms (Сильніше, ніж зброя) by the #BABYLON13 collective. This isn’t just a movie; it’s a direct-cinema chronicle that started on the first day of the Maidan protests.
The title comes from a story about a filmmaker whose camera was confiscated by soldiers who told him his lens was “stronger than their weapons.” Watching that footage—from the early days of the revolution to the defense of the Donetsk airport—reminds us that the resilience we support today has been over a decade in the making.
Why This Matters to TriSovereign
“It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations,” Jeff noted after the screening. “But being at the Youth House, surrounded by the next generation of Ukrainians who are literally building their future while defending it, puts everything into context. You realize that the ‘Point of No Return’ wasn’t just a historical date; it’s a mindset.”
We believe that being a good partner in Ukraine means showing up for the culture as much as the commerce. Supporting spaces like the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House and engaging with the work of artists like Kateryna Doroshyna is how we stay grounded in the reality of the people we work alongside.