Day 0: Thursday, October 9th, 2025
20:00 – Dinner for Speakers, Panel Chairs, and Guests of Honour (Invitation only)
Day 1: Friday, October 10th, 2025
09:00 – 09:30 Arrival and Registration
09:30 - 09:45 Opening Ceremony
- Assoc.Prof. Gordan Akrap, Hybrid Warfare Research Institute, and Dr. Franjo Tuđman Defense and Security University, Zagreb
- Norbert Eschborn, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Office for Croatia and Slovenia
- Prof.Dr. Shlomo Shpiro, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan
- Prof.Dr. Ivo Lučić, rector of Dr. Franjo Tuđman Defense and Security University, Zagreb
09:45 - 10.45 Keynote Speakers: Hybrid Threats against NATO and EU in 21st Century
- Elizabeth Fry, Chief Communications Assessment and Analysis, SHAPE/NATO (tbc)
- Ivan Anušić, Minister of Defence, Croatia (tbc)
- Andrej Plenković, Prime minister of Croatia (tbc)
10:45-11:05 Coffee Break
11:05-13:00 Panel I: Russian Full-Scale Aggression Against Ukraine – Lessons Identified – Lessons Learned
Chair: Assist.Prof. Daria Vilkova, Taras Schevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kiyv, Ukraine
1. Col. Viacheslav Semenenko, PhD, the Deputy Head of the Center for Military Strategic Studies, Military Academy of Ukraine: Ensuring National Resilience in a Long-term Large-scale War with a Superior Enemy
2. Prof.Dr. Shlomo Shpiro, Dr. Barak Bouks, Bar Ilan University, Israel: Russian and Iranian Intelligence Influence Operations in Ukraine and the Middle East
3. Assist.Prof. Janis Berzins, Center for Security and Strategic Research (CSSR) at the National Defense Academy of Latvia, Latvia: Russia's Mental Warfare and Europe’s Resilience Amidst the Shadow of Hybrid Threats
4. Dr. Vira Ratsiborynska, Adjunct professor on NATO and transatlantic approaches to security, Free University of Brussels (VUB), Belgium: Reflections on Russia’s mental warfare: “Project Russia” and its strategic implications on the West.
5. Dr. Cătălina Nastasiu, Assistant Lecturer at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania: Understanding the role of strategic narratives in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
13:00-14:00 Lunch (one non-alcoholic beverage included)
14:00-16:00 Panel II: Russian influence operations against democracy
Chair: Col. Serhii Moiko, PhD, Deputy head of Department at th3 Military Academy of Ukraine
1. Dr. Rodica Ciobanu and Dr. Mariana Rosca, University of Moldau, Moldova: New Frontiers of Electoral Influence: Russia’s Involvement in Moldova’s 2024 Referendum and Presidential Elections
2. Assist. Prof. Dr. Csongor B. Veress, Károli Gáspár University, Budapest, Hungary: Russian Interference in Moldova’s Presidential Elections and EU Referendum: A Case Study in Hybrid Non-Kinetic Influence Operations
3. Dr. Nenad Koprivica, program manager, IRI, Montenegro: Hybrid Threats against NATO and EU in the 21st Century: A Case Study of Montenegro
4. Assoc. Prof. Dorthe Bach Nyemann, Institute for Strategy and War, Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark: Russia and Kosovo – a study on how Russia advances its interests in the Western Balkans by shaping the narratives regarding Kosovo
5. Danylo Naumenko-Dyakiv, advisor to the Head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation, Kyiv, Ukraine: Usage of E-Sports and Religion as a Russian Propaganda Tool
16:00-16:30 Coffee Break
16:30-18:00 Panel III: Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resiliency: Case of Energy and Underwater infrastructure
Chair: Prof. Dr. Giray Sadik, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkiye
1. Prof.Dr. Gilliam de Valk, University of Leiden: Towards an integration of system analysis, big data, and early warning/early response
2. Dr. Gintaras Labutis, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania: Russian Nuclear Energy Exports: Expanding Influence Through Civilian Nuclear Deals
3. Dr. Justinas Juozaitis, Head of World Politics Research Group, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania: Responding to Russian Energy Coercion, Enhancing Energy Resilience: Lessons from the Baltic States
4. Assoc.Prof.Dražen Barbarić, Assist. Prof. Marko Odak, Dr. Miroslav Vasilj, University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Geopolitical Implications of Hybrid Operations: The Example of the Southern Gas Interconnection
5. LT General (ret.) Ioannis Anastasakis, Chairman of Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) Athens, Greece: Russian Energy Policy as an Instrument of Blackmail
18:00-19:00 Ambassador’s Panel
Chair: Davor Ivo Stier, Member of European Parliament, former Croatian foreign minister
Four ambassadors from NATO allies and partner states will comment present and future of NATO alliance and importance of strategic cooperation and interoperability with EU in order to improve societal resiliency, defense and security against present and future threats to our democracy.
20:00 - Networking dinner for all Forum participants, (two non-alcoholic beverages included) – Hotel Sheraton
Day 2: Saturday, October 11th, 2025
10.00-12.00 Panel IV: Russian Intelligence and Disinformation Campaigns against NATO and EU
Chair: Dr. Władysław Bułhak, Institute of National Remembrance, University of Warsaw, Poland
1. Dr. Christopher Nehring, Cyberintelligence Institute, Frankfurt, Germany: Russia and their use of AI in Influence Campaigns
2. Dr. Rasto Kazansky, Head of the Department of Security Studies, Faculty of Political Science and International Relations of UMB, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia: Anti-Americanism as a Hybrid Weapon of Pro-Russian Action
3. Dr. Przemyslaw Gasztold, IPN and War Studies University, Warsaw, Poland: The Double Life of Pablo González vel Pavel Rubtsov: Journalism, Espionage, and the GRU's European Network
4. Dr. Adrian Hänni, Senior Researcher, Leibnitz Institute for Contemporary History, Munich-Berlin, Germany: Switzerland as a hub for Russian intelligence operations against NATO and EU states
5. Sandra Wassbro, MA, Swedish Police, Dr. Anders Strindberg, Swedish Defence Research Agency-FOI, Sweden: Hybrid warfare and organized crime: Russia’s weaponization of criminality in the Nordics
6. RAdm (ret.) Dr. Eyal Pinko, senior researcher, BESA Center, Bar Ilan University, Israel: The Paris Olympics 2024: A Case Study of Russian Influence Campaigns in Sports and Diplomacy
12:00--12:15 Coffee Break
12.15-13.45 Panel V: Young Researchers Forum and Hybrid Threats Resiliency (1)
Chair: ir. Yvan de Mesmaeker (M.Sc.Eng.), ECSA, Belgium
1. Bogdan Topan Freeman Spogli (Predoc) Fellow of the Center for International Security and Cooperation Stanford University, Romania: A Comparative Analysis of the progressive alignment of NATO and EU Strategies for Countering Hybrid Threats through a study of the internal-external nexus in assisting the Republic of Moldova in addressing Russian hybrid attacks
2. Branimir Bekavac, Ministry of defense, Croatia, Cyprian Aleksander Kozera, PhD, University of South Wales, UK: Special Operations and the European Union: How can evolving Central European Special Operations Forces contribute to the EU’s deterrence?
3. LtCol Ivona Balić Dorić, Ministry of defense, Croatia: Legal status of illegal migrants in international waters as a hybrid threat instrument
4. Celien De Stercke, Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP), Faculty of Law and Criminology, Ghent University: Governance of Security in Digital Europe: Lessons from Croatia's Cybersecurity Architecture
5. Francesca Elena Strat, Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies, University of Glasgow, UK: Strategic Alliances and Contested Seas: The Strategic Energy Landscape of Central Asia: Russia's Geopolitical Opportunities and Challenges
6. Anna Orosz, Research fellow, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Budapest, Hungary: The war in Ukraine and its impact on the Russian leverage in the energy sector of Southeast Europe
7. Zunaira Khan MA, Common Mission Project MoD, UK: A Glance at Women in Intelligence through the Fictional Lens
13:45-14:45 Lunch (one non-alcoholic beverage included)
14.45-16.15 Panel VI: Young Researchers Forum And Hybrid Threats Resiliency (2)
Chair: Dr.Rodica Ciobanu and Dr.Mariana Rosca, University of Moldau, Moldau
1. 2ndLt Ivana Kovačević Bekić, Operations Department, Croatian Cyber Command, Ministry of Defence, Croatia: Analysis of media coverage about war in Ukraine in Croatian media – information vs disinformation
2. Josip Mandić, Ministry of defense, Croatia: Kremlin's FIMI: A Case Study of Croatia
3. Tara Miler, Slovenia: Russian-backed media as an instrument within Russia's Grand Strategy in the Western Balkans
4. Angela Kukushev, Vasko Naumovski, Full Professor, “Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law”, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, N. Macedonia: Soft Power and Regional Instability: Russia’s Strategies in the WB
5. Marianna Prysiazhniuk, University of Bucharest, Romania: Between "Soft Power" and "Hard Power": Strategic narratives of Russian: foreign politics as the tools in justifying aggression
6. Saurav Narain, Leiden University, Netherland: Comparative analysis of the European and Russian security apparatuses in Central African Republic
7. Lukas Horak, Association for International Affairs, University of Defence, Prague, Czech Republic: Building the ‘RussieAfrique’: Russian Hybrid Warfare Changing the Geopolitics in the Sahel
16.15-16.30 Forum Conclusions
Future Challenges, Joint Responses
Co-chairs: Assoc.Prof. Gordan Akrap, Prof.Dr. Shlomo Shpiro
- The aim of this session is to integrate the lessons learned from the individual presentations of the previous two days, both in terms of threat analysis and of networked responses. Furthermore, this session will facilitate a wider discussion on the needs for joint capacity building, intensive inter-operability, and mutual multi-level crisis assistance.