An online event titled “Courage Without Borders,” dedicated to the Day of Ukrainian Peacekeepers, took place at KhAI.
The meeting brought together 75 participants — students, faculty members, and university staff. The honorary speakers of the event were Serhii Samoilov — a participant in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone and the International Coalition Operation of Joint Forces in the Republic of Iraq, and Director of Youth Programs for the International Association of UN Peacekeepers “Soldiers of Peace”; Oleksandr Doroshenko — a participant in the UN mission in Kosovo; Ihor Tovma — Deputy Head of the Institute for Scientific Work at the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, and a participant in the UN mission in the Republic of South Sudan; Ihor Prykhodko — Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, Retired Colonel, and a participant in the UN mission in Kosovo.
At the beginning, participants recalled the history of the Ukrainian peacekeeping movement. It was on July 15, 1992, that Ukrainian military personnel first embarked on a UN peacekeeping mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since then, over 40,000 Ukrainians have carried out peacekeeping missions in various countries around the world.
The most engaging part was an open conversation with the students. The questions concerned not only military service but also moral choice, trust, international cooperation, and the role of youth in preserving peace.
The peacekeepers emphasized: the greatest value is human life. Mutual respect, discipline, professionalism, and the ability to work in multinational teams are precisely what help prevent conflicts even in the most difficult conditions.
Special attention was paid to the role of modern youth. Future engineers, IT specialists, analysts, and scientists can make a significant contribution to international security through technologies, research, humanitarian projects, and international cooperation. An important role in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine belongs specifically to them.
During the meeting, participants also discussed peacekeeping education, the restoration of de-occupied territories, work with local communities, information security, and the necessity of earning the trust of the local population every day through honesty, openness, and professionalism.
The symbolic finale was the question: “What is a peacekeeper's primary weapon — an assault rifle or diplomacy?” The answer was unanimous: weapons are needed for defense, but a peacekeeper's true strength lies in professionalism, endurance, responsibility, the ability to engage in dialogue, and finding solutions that save human lives.
Today, Ukrainian military personnel continue their peacekeeping mission on their native soil, defending Ukraine's independence and the right of future generations to live in a free state. That is why courage truly has no borders.