The conference concluded ten months of dedicated project activities, led by Malmö University (Sweden) in partnership with NGO Poruch (Ukraine) and the NGO Crisis Research Centre (Estonia). The goal of the project was to establish a network of local-level crisis managers across the three countries, focusing initially on the Points of Invincibility, a resilience hubs initiative launched in Ukraine in 2022 in response to Russia’s large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure.

“Points of Invincibility is a Ukrainian initiative aimed at helping local communities — both in urban and rural areas to continue daily life and work as normally as possible. As Sweden and Estonia also seek tangible tools to support local communities in the face of various crises, bringing together best practices and lessons learned is essential,” said Dr. Tom Nilsson, project coordinator from Malmö University.

The project focused on sharing experiences and mapping both success stories and the challenges municipalities have faced. “An important part of this project was the research conducted to understand how Points of Invincibility, as resilience hubs, function as tools in building resilience,” noted Anne-May Nagel, researcher and co-founder of the NGO Crisis Research Centre. “At the conference, preliminary research results were presented, and further feedback was gathered from participants,” she added.

Dr Mariia Tyschenko (Ukraine), head of Poruch, one of Ukraine’s largest NGOs, gave a presentation on cooperation between the third sector and local government in Ukraine at the final seminar of the Crisis Research Centre’s K-24 project “Crisis Preparedness of Communities – Where do we stand?” on May 28.

Anne-May Nagel, co-founder of the Crisis Research Centre, will introduce the presentation with an overview of the organization’s 2024 Tallinn and Kohtla-Järve community-based population protection projects. The video is in English.

🟧🟦 The panel discussion and its recording were supported by the Estonian Ministry of the Interior through the National Foundation for Civil Society.

Photo and video: the panel discussion on May 28 (Crisis Research Centre, 2025).

The protection of critical infrastructure is one of the most important needs for modern society’s security, and Ukraine serves as a model for the rest of Europe. Modern critical infrastructure is inextricably linked to electricity and software, both of which are important targets for an aggressor state that employs a wide range of tactics.

“Instead of focussing solely on directly critical infrastructure last year, attackers increasingly targeted supply chains, compromising specialised software suppliers and developers. This approach enables the enemy to remain undetected and gain access to critical systems via less secure supply chains,” explained Brigadier General Oleksandr Potii, Head of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP), who also presented the Crisis Research Centre with a newly published analytical report summarising Ukraine’s defensive cyber activities.

“After more than a decade of war, we’ve seen how important it is to protect critical infrastructure, whether it’s transport hubs or power plants. This is significant because modern societies are extremely vulnerable to power outages and other essential services,” said Hannes Nagel, head of the Crisis Research Centre. Mr Nagel accepted a commemorative coin from Oleksandr Potii, Head of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, on behalf of the Crisis Research Centre, symbolising the start of cooperation between the organisations.

The seminar featured presentations by local officials from various regions of Ukraine. “It is critical to have representation from various regions because Ukraine is a large country and local authorities’ experience varies slightly depending on their location. The war has affected all regions of Ukraine, but people near the frontline or in Western Ukraine have different needs in certain areas,” said Dr. Mariia Tyschenko, head of NGO Poruch (Ukraine), a PIMA project partner, at the seminar. However, crisis centres, or Point of Invincibility as they are known in Ukraine, are spread across the country and provide critical support to the population during the war.

“Estonia and Sweden are both actively developing civil protection, including crisis centres. However, in order to achieve the best possible outcome, we must learn from the Ukrainian experience. This is what the PIMA project is all about,” said Anne-May Nagel, co-founder of the Crisis Research Centre. ‘The need for cooperation was also important – in Ukraine, companies, local governments, the Ukrainian Rescue Service, NGOs, and the community itself all contribute to setting up, opening, and maintaining the centres – and we need similar solutions in Estonia and Sweden to make the centres work in practice,’ she added.

Part of the last event of the Crisis Research Centre’s Spring 2025 Community Based Civil Protection initiatives was the panel discussion With Maria Derlõs (City of Tallinn), Dr. Mariia Tyschenko (NGO Poruch, Ukraine), Hannes Nagel (Crisis Research Centre), and Dr. Kadi Luht-Kallas (Estonian Ministry of Interior) joining the conversation, the goal was to compile experts with various points of view on communities and crisis readiness.

The panellists considered at the start of the conversation what we might define as community in Estonia nowadays. The main description given was people working together in the same area, for the same goal; but, communities based on interests were also emphasised: for instance, people engaged in a particular hobby in the same area can also establish a community. Dr. Luht-Kallas underlined that in times of crisis, the community close by is quite crucial since it can be challenging to get persons living far away.

“People living in large apartment blocks and prefabricated housing are particularly vulnerable in an urban environment because of their reliance on basic services such electricity, water and heating,” said head of the Crisis Research Centre Hannes Nagel. Given many people live together, both individual initiative and the management of the housing association’s crisis readiness are equally crucial. Maria Derlõs emphasised her own experience serving on a board of a housing association and noted that, in order to effectively involve residents—including on crisis readiness—the boards of housing associations require particular support and training. Participants observed that, in terms of crisis preparedness and crisis management, the communication among residents—whether or not it occurs in housing associations—is rather crucial.

Dr Tyschenko, who shared her experience of more than ten years of war in Ukraine, echoed this point underlining the need of housing associations having a messaging app allowing for quick messaging—be it Facebook Messenger, Signal, or another group chat system. Furthermore mentioned by Dr Tyschenko was the so-called “social networking” should guide those in the building who cannot or do not know how to use such applications for whatever reason”. Should some members of the house find themselves unable to use these applications for some reason, it is advised that they use the traditional approaches of either knocking on the door or, for messages less time-sensitive, writing them on the stairwell notice board. Therefore, it is crucial that the residents’ or the management of the housing association have a general awareness of the neighbours who might require this type of information-sharing help.

The training, which began on April 5 at 11 a.m., was held in the Järveotsa settlement of Väike-Õismäe community garden under the guidance of Women’s Voluntary Defense Organization instructors and focused on practical training. Despite the cold weather, community members gathered to receive training in realistic conditions similar to those found in Ukrainian urban areas, where vital services are disrupted and fragile.

Participants were taught practical basic survival skills necessary to deal with a serious crisis in an urban setting. The training focused on the three most important aspects of survival: water, food, and warmth. In addition, the principles of crisis planning and evacuation codes of conduct were reviewed.

The weather conditions made the training more realistic, giving participants a better understanding of the actual challenges faced in a crisis. The experience gained allowed the participants to understand how to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills in real life, including in difficult and unpredictable situations.

A debate on Ukraine’s future and how to achieve it took place last week at the British Residence in Brussels, organised by the UK Mission to the European Union in collaboration with the College of Europe Alumni Association, EYL40 European Young Leaders, Friends of Europe, and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy – Brussels. It is a platform for experts and leaders from various backgrounds to share their perspectives, ideas, and challenges about Ukraine’s current situation and future.

The central theme of the debate was what future Ukrainians are fighting for today, as well as what steps must be taken to achieve just and long-term peace and security. The debate focused on the key question: what is Ukraine’s future? Is a just and lasting peace possible in the short or long term? How can Europe’s allies help Ukraine on its journey? Can Ukrainians expect justice to be served? Are peace and justice mutually supportive or opposing goals?

Both Estonia and Ukraine are currently facing difficult circumstances. To protect the Estonian people, ongoing investments in crisis planning and civil protection capacities are critical. Only in this manner can we not only respond rapidly to crises but also prevent them and effectively manage their effects!

Happy 107th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia!

Photo: Estonian flag in the countryside (KRUK, 2025).

The aim of the project is to provide municipalities in the three countries with practical guidance on how to create and develop such facilities involving multi-level actors to foster adaptation to turbulent times.

Malmö University is the lead partner of the project, with whom the project partners are mapping best practices at the local level in creating and developing crisis facilities for communities. A key partner in the project is the Ukrainian NGO Poruch, which has extensive practical experience in supporting communities through points of invincibility since the start of the Russian invasion.

“We are very honoured to have the NGO Poruch involved in this project, as their experience is invaluable. Their work on the ground in Ukraine with points of invincibilities has helped many people to cope in crisis situations. The practical experience of setting up and running the centres is an invaluable learning material,” said Anne-May Nagel, PIMA Project Coordinator at the Crisis Research Centre.

The PIMA project is funded by the Swedish Institute, whose contribution will enable municipalities in three countries to share their experience and best practices. The project will run until the end of November 2025 and will produce materials to help local authorities develop more effective crisis facilities for communities.

Photo: the first working group meeting of PIMA project in Malmö on February 4 (KRUK, 2024).