Ukrainian delegation walks out of EU Parliament youth event over speech by Dasha Navalnaya

The Ukrainian delegation at the European Youth Event (EYE) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13-14 June 2025 walked out in protest at a speech by Dasha Navalnaya, daughter of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Source: Lviv City Council

Details: Billed as a keynote speaker, Navalnaya took part in a main discussion panel on freedom of expression and democratic values and made an "inspirational speech".

Ukrainian delegates Solomiia Koval, Taia Mamchak and Daryna Pidlubna said they had not been informed of her appearance in advance.

Quote from the delegates: "She spoke about human rights and freedom of speech and language while Russia is destroying those same rights in Ukraine every day. We come from a country that is under daily attack. Our peers are dying at the front. To see Russians playing a key role in the European Parliament is an insult to us and our struggle."

More details: The delegates noted that Russian lawyer Vyacheslav Samonov also made a speech at the forum, and Russian could be heard being spoken on the sidelines.

As European Youth Capital 2025, Lviv plans to send an official letter to the president of the European Parliament to address the delegates’ concerns.

Quote from Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi: "I don’t know what Ukrainians have done to deserve this. In one part of Europe our young people must defend their country and die for their homeland, while in another they are expected to take part in public events alongside Russians and listen to a keynote speech from a Russian."

For reference: The European Youth Event, held biennially at the European Parliament, is Europe’s largest youth forum. 

Background: Several years ago a similar controversy arose when Georgetown University invited Dasha Navalnaya to speak at a diplomats’ graduation ceremony, prompting students to organise a petition against her address on "freedom of speech".

The students were enraged that Navalnaya refused to condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while her father claimed that Crimea will belong to Russia (saying "Crimea is not a sandwich to be passed back and forth") and supported Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008.

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