Stefan Ingvarsson, currently an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), brings a rich background in publishing, cultural journalism, and literary translation. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the Cultural Counselor at the Swedish embassy in Moscow. Preceding this role, Ingvarsson steered the acclaimed 'Stockholm Literature' international festival at Moderna Museet as its artistic director. Additionally, he is a board member of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Visby, contributing significantly to the cultural dialogue and literary exchange.

Sofia Nyblom är omvärldsanalytiker, programledare och journalist med internationell masterexamen från Institutet för Rysslands- och Eurasienstudier, Uppsala universitet 2025. Efter att ha bevakat ukrainskt kulturliv sedan 2015 i flera uppmärksammade radiodokumentärer skriver och forskar hon i dag kring ukrainsk kulturdiplomati, motståndskraft och psykologiskt försvar. Sofia medverkar i referensgruppen för New Voices from Ukraine, och 2023 deltog hon i den internationella juryn för ukrainska teaterfestivalen GRA. 2021 nominerades en av Sofias radiodokumentärer till Prix Europa (2021), och hennes debutroman nominerades till Adlibris-priset samma år.

Kurt Bratteby is an experienced leader in international cooperation, committed to strengthening Sweden’s cultural and societal relations abroad. As Director of the Department for International Relations at the Swedish Institute (SI), he has helped shape the institute’s work to build trust, dialogue, and sustainable partnerships through culture, education, and people-to-people exchange.

He has overseen programmes promoting Swedish culture and creative industries internationally, supporting democratic development, and fostering collaboration between artists, institutions, and civil society, expanding Sweden’s global networks and mutual understanding.

Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, is an arts and culture management, marketing, and communications professional with 20 years of experience in cultural diplomacy and a member of PEN Ukraine. He has led the Institute since 2018 and previously served as director of arts at British Council Ukraine and regional arts and communications manager for 15 countries in South-East Europe and Central Asia. Volodymyr has organized projects across theatre, literature, film, music, visual arts, and creative industries. He holds an Executive MBA from Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, studied at Kyiv National University, USC, and Aspen Institute Kyiv, and lectures on cultural diplomacy.

Andrea Liebman is a senior analyst at the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, specializing in social media, strategic communications, and foreign information manipulation. She advises governments, public institutions, and international actors on threats to democratic resilience and national security, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. Andrea has over a decade of experience in the UN, International IDEA, and multilateral organizations, and previously led communications at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. She also serves as an official MPF spokesperson.

Alyona Hurkivska is PhD and Postdoctoral Researcher at Södertörn University (Sweden), and Acting Researcher at the Kuras Institute, NAS of Ukraine. Her research focuses on information warfare, societal resilience to disinformation, and Russian propaganda against Ukraine. She works on a Baltic Sea Foundation–funded project on Russian disinformation before and after the full-scale invasion, and on identity and propaganda detection. She has also worked on EU- and USAID-funded projects, conducted policy analysis, and authored a Green Book for the Ukrainian Parliament.

Janush Panchenko, a Ukrainian researcher of Romani descent, studies Romani culture, history, and language, focusing on the impact of the russian invasion on Ukrainian Roma, migration, and indigenous status. He is a research associate at the Czech Academy of Sciences, a Ph.D. student at Zaporizhzhia National University, and serves on the EVZ Foundation Advisory Board. He founded Romano Than, Ukraine’s first Romani youth center, looted during the occupation, highlighting Roma resilience.

Matteo Magnani is Professor of Data Science at Uppsala University and leads the Uppsala Information Laboratory. His work bridges computer science and the social sciences, with a focus on social media analysis, online disinformation, and social cybersecurity. He coordinated the Nordic Network on Online Disinformation and served as Swedish PI for the EU-funded NORDIS Hub. His current research examines AI-driven coordinated information spreading online

Thomas Nygren is a professor of Education at Uppsala University, specializing in digital literacy, misinformation, and democratic education. He studies how young people navigate complex information environments, focusing on fact-checking, civic reasoning, and responsible AI use. Nygren has led national and international projects on youth media literacy and democratic resilience, contributed to teacher education, and advised Swedish and international agencies on evidence-based school development.

Thord Eriksson is a journalist and author who frequently writes about migration and related social issues. He is currently working on a book about the so-called hybrid warfare at the border with Belarus, where people on the move have been cynically instrumentalized to put political pressure on the European Union.

In spring 2025, in his role as Editor-in-Chief of the Swedish Library Association’s journal Biblioteksbladet, he traveled to Ukraine. From there, he reported on Russia’s attacks on the country’s language, identity, and cultural heritage.

Hanna Nordell, an art historian, cultural worker, producer and writer, has been Managing Director of PEN Sweden since 2021 and leads the PEN-to-PEN project in collaboration with PEN Ukraine, supporting frontline libraries and fostering cultural exchange through literature. With a background in visual arts, she has worked at Tensta Konsthall and Gävle Konstcentrum, where she coordinated the first residency for a visual artist within the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), highlighting her commitment to international artistic solidarity.

Viktoriia Polova is an Administrative Coordinator at the Executive Office of the Ukrainian Library Association and a civic activist with over 13 years of experience in civil society. She has coordinated national and international projects focused on strengthening libraries as community hubs, promoting digital and media literacy, and supporting community resilience during wartime. Viktoriia has worked with partners including UNDP, USAID, Goethe-Institut, and the EU. In 2022–2023, she launched a mental health and psychosocial support project for Ukrainians affected by occupation and frontline conditions.

Svitlana Taratorina is a Ukrainian writer raised in Crimea and based in Kyiv. She is the author of fantasy and speculative fiction novels, including Lazarus and The House of Salt, as well as children’s books and comics. Her works explore mythology, history, and the contemporary experience of Crimea. Taratorina is a recipient of numerous Ukrainian and international literary awards. She is a member of PEN Ukraine.

Maria Dahlström, curator at the World Culture Museums, focuses on provenance and repatriation, navigating the complexities of cultural object trade and heritage preservation. Leading initiatives addressing illegal trade and cultural heritage destruction, she's a staunch advocate for ethical stewardship. With a BA in archaeology, specializing in classical archaeology, Dahlström brings scholarly insight and dedication to safeguarding global cultural legacies.

Bosse Lagerqvist is a retired associate professor in conservation at the University of Gothenburg and currently assistant professor at Strömstad Academy. He has extensive international experience through projects related to Union Carbide in Bhopal and several EU-funded research and education initiatives. Heritage in conflict has been a central focus of his work with Cultural Heritage without Borders in the Western Balkans and within the European Commission’s expert group supporting the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage following Russia’s invasion. Since 2025, he serves on the board of the Swedish Blue Shield Committee.

Еlena Dahlgren is a social anthropologist specializing in identity and cultural preservation during war. Born in Crimea, she integrates personal experience of occupation into her research on Ukrainian wartime soundscapes and their role in resilience and national identity. She has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Egypt and Turkey, studying spirituality, traditions, and material culture. As an ethnographer and ethnochoreologist, she develops educational projects and presents on folklore and intangible cultural heritage

Edda Manga is a Swedish intellectual historian and researcher whose work explores the intersections of migration, racialization, and political participation, as well as the affective and historical dimensions of modern political imaginaries.

She is currently based at the Multicultural Center (Mångkulturellt Centrum), where she engages in interdisciplinary research and public-facing initiatives focused on democracy, inequality, and social inclusion.

Janush Panchenko, a Ukrainian researcher of Romani descent, studies Romani culture, history, and language, focusing on the impact of the Russian invasion on Ukrainian Roma, migration, and indigenous status. He is a research associate at the Czech Academy of Sciences, a Ph.D. student at Zaporizhzhia National University, and serves on the EVZ Foundation Advisory Board. He founded Romano Than, Ukraine’s first Romani youth center, looted during the occupation, highlighting Roma resilience.

Julia Tymoshenko is the Head of Ukraïner, a leading Ukrainian media and publishing platform documenting the country’s culture, identity, and wartime resilience. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has become a prominent Ukrainian voice on social media, helping international audiences better understand Ukraine and the global implications of the war. With nearly a decade of international experience, she works to amplify Ukraine’s voice globally through storytelling, journalism, and cultural diplomacy, and has hosted more than 30 long-form interviews on culture, geopolitics, and resilience.

Stefan Ingvarsson, currently an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), brings a rich background in publishing, cultural journalism, and literary translation. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the Cultural Counselor at the Swedish embassy in Moscow. Preceding this role, Ingvarsson steered the acclaimed 'Stockholm Literature' international festival at Moderna Museet as its artistic director. Additionally, he is a board member of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Visby, contributing significantly to the cultural dialogue and literary exchange.

Julia Tymoshenko is the Head of Ukraïner, a leading Ukrainian media and publishing platform documenting the country’s culture, identity, and wartime resilience. Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has become a prominent Ukrainian voice on social media, helping international audiences better understand Ukraine and the global implications of the war. With nearly a decade of international experience, she works to amplify Ukraine’s voice globally through storytelling, journalism, and cultural diplomacy, and has hosted more than 30 long-form interviews on culture, geopolitics, and resilience.

Jakub Śliż is the president and founder of Pravda, a Polish association combating disinformation and promoting public awareness of false narratives. He coordinates strategy, partnerships, and organizational development. Passionate about combining AI with fact-checking, he focuses on monitoring the infosphere and strengthening social resilience. Pravda is one of only three Polish organizations accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)

Julia Gerdner is a writer and PhD candidate in Slavic languages and literatures at Stockholm University. Her research, Resurrecting through Language, explores linguistic conversion from Russian to Ukrainian in contemporary literature, focusing on the poetry of Iya Kiva. In addition to her academic work, she writes poetry and music and serves as an editor of the literary journal Anomi, bridging scholarly research with creative practice.

Iya Kiva is a Ukrainian poet and translator based in Lviv. She is the author of three poetry collections, including Laughter of an Extinguished Bonfire(«Сміх згаслої ватри», 2023). A recipient of numerous Ukrainian and international awards, her poems have been translated into over 35 languages and published across Europe, including Sweden (Tidens nya alfabet, 2024). Her work bridges cultures and languages, with the upcoming collection Silence Dressed in Cyrillic Lettersset for release by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute in 2026.

Nils Håkanson is a writer and translator, mainly from Ukrainian, Russian, and English. His book "Hidden Gods. A Book about Everything that is Not Lost in Translation" won the August prize in the non-fiction category in 2021. His latest book, “Heavy Metal” (2023), deals with the impact of popular culture on social development in Sweden during the 20th century.

Svitlana Taratorina is a writer raised in Crimea and based in Kyiv. She is the author of fantasy and speculative fiction novels, including Lazarus and The House of Salt, as well as children’s books and comics. Her works explore mythology, history, and the contemporary experience of Crimea. Taratorina is a recipient of numerous Ukrainian and international literary awards. She is a member of PEN Ukraine.

Sofia Nyblom is an analyst, host and journalist with an international master’s degree (2025) from at Uppsala University. After covering Ukrainian cultural life since 2015 in acclaimed radio documentaries, she now researches Ukrainian cultural diplomacy, resilience and psychological defence. She serves on the reference group for New Voices from Ukraineand was a juror at the Ukrainian theatre festival GRA in 2023. One of her documentaries was nominated for Prix Europa (2021), and her debut novel was shortlisted for the Adlibris Prize the same year.

Artur Dron is a Ukrainian writer and poet, ex-military, and author of two poetry collections and a prose book. A graduate of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and laureate of the Yuriy Shevelyov Prize for Hemingway Knows Nothing, he continued writing even on the frontline after volunteering in 2022. Wounded and demobilized in 2025, his work is now translated into several languages and recognized among Ukraine’s best books

Stefan Ingvarsson, currently an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), brings a rich background in publishing, cultural journalism, and literary translation. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the Cultural Counselor at the Swedish embassy in Moscow. Preceding this role, Ingvarsson steered the acclaimed 'Stockholm Literature' international festival at Moderna Museet as its artistic director. Additionally, he is a board member of the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Visby, contributing significantly to the cultural dialogue and literary exchange.

Tamara Duda(pen name Horikha Zernya) is a Ukrainian writer and translator based in Kyiv. A front-line volunteer in 2014–2016, she later transformed her wartime experience into fiction. Her debut novel Daughter(2019), about the early Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine, won BBC Book of the Year and the Taras Shevchenko National Prize. She followed with The Principle of Interference(2021) and The Fortune Teller(2025). Duda also writes essays, short stories and poetry included in contemporary Ukrainian anthologies.

Iryna Melnychenko, Ukrainian writer and screenwriter Iryna Melnycheko, known for co-authoring the historical novel 'Alive. Against All Odds,' champions the profound impact of storytelling. She believes that stories are not just weapons and powerful tools for preserving memory and culture. She perceives them as gateways to comprehending ourselves, others, and the hidden realms of motivation and aspiration. 

Ірина Мельниченко — українська письменниця та сценаристка, відома співавторством історичного роману «Жива. Попри все». Вона відстоює глибокий вплив оповіді на життя людей, вважаючи, що історії — це не лише зброя чи потужний інструмент збереження пам’яті та культури, а й шлях до розуміння себе, інших та прихованих сфер мотивації й прагнень.

Artur Dron is a Ukrainian writer and poet, ex-military, and author of two poetry collections and a prose book. A graduate of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and laureate of the Yuriy Shevelyov Prize for Hemingway Knows Nothing, he continued writing even on the frontline after volunteering in 2022. Wounded and demobilized in 2025, his work is now translated into several languages and recognized among Ukraine’s best books.

Артур Дрон — український письменник і поет, колишній військовий, автор двох поетичних збірок і прозової книги. Випускник Львівського національного університету імені Івана Франка та лауреат Премії Юрія Шевельова за книжку «Гемінґвей нічого не знає». Після добровільного вступу до війська у 2022 році продовжував писати навіть на фронті. Поранений і демобілізований у 2025 році, нині його твори перекладені кількома мовами та відзначені серед найкращих книжок України.