Lublin Forum 2026. Program

We are honored to invite you to the Lublin Forum 2026, held at the Lublin Conference Center on May 19–20, 2026.

This year’s edition, titled “Russian Aggression: Roots and Forms,” will combine historical and political science perspectives, enabling experts, researchers, and practitioners to analyze the long-term continuity of Russian imperialism, its historical roots, ideological narratives, and impact on contemporary politics and international security.

Day 1

9:30 – 10:00 Opening Ceremony

10:00 – 10:45 Keynote Speech

Serhii Plokhii, Harvard University, The Rise and Fall of the Pan-Russian Idea

10:45 – 11:15 Discussion (chaired by Sławomir Łukasiewicz, Institute of Central Europe)

11:15 – 11:45 Coffee Break

11:45 – 13:00 Panel 1

History as the Instrument of Power and (Epistemic) Violence

Chair: Mykola Riabchuk, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

· Aliaksei Kazharski, Charles University

· Julita Komosa, Institute for the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences

· Aleksandra Konarzewska, Universität Tübingen

· Olha Tkachenko, Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences

13:00 – 13:15 Coffee Break

13:15 – 14:30 Panel 2

Central and Eastern European Perceptions of Russia

Chair: Agata Domachowska, Institute of Central Europe

· Szczepan Czarnecki, Institute of Central Europe

· Olga Khomenko, University of Oxford

· Miklós Mitrovits, Kazimierz Wielki University [tbc]

· Jędrzej Piekara, Institute of Central Europe

14:30 – 15:45 Lunch Break

15:45 – 17:00 Panel 3

Rewriting the Past, Resisting the Empire: Memory Politics in East-Central Europe

Chair: Bartłomiej Krzysztan, Institute of Central Europe

· Kristina But, Zaporizhzhia National University

· Kacper Dziekan, Institute of Public Affairs

· Agata Tatarenko, Institute of Central Europe

· Gayane Shagoyan, Yerevan State University / Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA

17:00 – 17:15 Coffee Break

17:15 – 18:30 Panel 4

From Narratives to Cognitive Warfare: The New Frontlines of Conflict

Chairs: Jędrzej Piekara and Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik, Institute of Central Europe

· Agnieszka Demczuk, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University / Expert Advisory Team for Information Security of the Republic of Poland, Chancellery of the Prime Minister

· Kacper Gradoń, University College London

· Igor Kąkolewski, Centre for Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin

· Vladimir Sazonov, University of Tartu

18:30 – 19:30 Dinner

Day 2

9:00 – 10:15 Panel 5

Maritime Security (panel within Polish CBSS Presidency 2025–2026)

Chairs: Piotr Oleksy and Damian Szacawa, Institute of Central Europe

Foreword (video message): Gustav Lindström, Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat

· Piotr Nieć, Armed Forces Operational Command / NATO Commander Task Force Baltic

· Oana Popescu Zamfir, GlobalFocus Center

· Andreas Raspotnik, High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University / Fridtjof Nansen Institute

· Maria Simeonova, European Council on Foreign Relations

10:15 – 10:30 Coffee Break

10:30 – 11:45 Panel 6

Integration by Negation: The Western Balkans and Eastern Europe in the Politics of Waiting

Chair: Spasimir Domaradzki, Institute of Central Europe

· Agata Domachowska, Institute of Central Europe

· Iulian Groza, Institute for European Policies and Reforms

· Miloš Petrović, Institute of International Politics and Economics

· Bekim Sejdiu, University of Prishtina

· Tomasz Wiśniewski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland

11:45 – 12:15 Coffee Break

12:15 – 13:30 Panel 7

Geopolitical Failures of Europe

Chair: Jędrzej Jander, Institute of Central Europe

· Jean Crombois, American University in Bulgaria

· Tamar Gamkrelidze, College of Europe in Natolin

· Aliaksei Lastouski, European Humanities University

· Andrzej Sadecki, Centre for Eastern Studies

13:30 – 13:45 Coffee Break

13:45 – 15:00 Panel 8

Central and Eastern Europe and the Global South in a Multipolar World

Chair: Jakub Bornio, Institute of Central Europe

· Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida

· Agnieszka Legucka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland

· Anaïs Marin, Chatham House

· Jakub Zajączkowski, University of Warsaw

15:00 – 16:15 Lunch