Operácia Nádej SK/CZ/UA
On Thursday 9 July, ESET Science Stage will host Operation Hope, a unique eight-hour discussion and fundraising marathon. Running from 11:00 to 19:00, the programme will feature more than twenty guests from Slovakia, Czechia and Ukraine discussing the war, European security, disinformation, support for Ukraine and the future of Europe. Throughout the event, visitors will also be able to contribute to a fundraiser for evacuation ambulances serving Ukraine.
Operation Hope is organised by the Czech initiative A Gift for Putin (Dárek pro Putina) in cooperation with the Open Society Foundation Slovakia as part of the Oksana Forever project. The marathon will be streamed live both at the festival and online, allowing audiences to support the purchase of ambulances that help save lives on the front lines.
The programme will feature former Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces General Daniel Zmeko, former Czech ambassador to Russia and the United States and current adviser to the Czech President Petr Kolář, journalist and creator of the War Development project Roman Pataj, former adviser to the President of Slovakia Jana Kobzová, Ukrainian scientist and activist Olga Shpak, Ukrainian Defence Forces soldier Sergej MAD Singer, Czech Ukrainian studies expert Lenka Víchová, and many others. Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian Legion, will join remotely. You can find the complete list of speakers at the end of the article.
The discussions will be hosted by Svetlana Witovská and Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová, while the live production will be directed by Martin Ondráček from A Gift for Putin.
"Operation Hope is a discussion and fundraising format we have been organising since 2023. I'm delighted that we're bringing it to Slovakia's best festival for the very first time. Besides the discussions, we'll also have our own stand at Pohoda featuring a replica of a Shahed drone to help visitors better understand the reality of the war in Ukraine," says Martin Ondráček.
The project also builds on last year's Pohoda, where visitors could see the destroyed evacuation ambulance Oksana.
"Last year we exhibited the destroyed ambulance Oksana at Pohoda, and that was where the idea for the Oksana Forever fundraiser was born. It has since become the largest fundraising campaign for evacuation ambulances we've ever organised, enabling us to deliver more than 150 vehicles to Ukraine. I truly appreciate that Pohoda Festival continues to create generous space for Ukraine and for those supporting it," says Fedor Blaščák, Director of the Open Society Foundation Slovakia.
Throughout the day, festival visitors can also stop by the A Gift for Putin stand to learn more about the fundraiser and the current situation in Ukraine.
Operation Hope will continue into the night with a special afterparty. From midnight until 2:00 am, ESET Science Stage will host Ukrainian DJ Kraken, closing the day with a dedicated Operation Hope afterparty.
Pohoda has long supported Ukraine and its cultural and civic community. Every year, we host the Concert for Ukraine, provide space for Ukrainian artists whose opportunities to perform at home have been severely limited, and support initiatives helping people affected by the war. Operation Hope is another opportunity to connect music, meaningful discussion and tangible support.
Operation Hope – Speakers:
- Andrea Najvirtová – Director, People in Need Slovakia
- Olexandra Knyha – Head of the Children's Choir in Kherson
- Pavol Pekarčík – Filmmaker and activist
- Ivan Sýkora – Entrepreneur and Berkat activist
- Martin Poliačik – Emile Foundation / GLOBSEC, Children Returned from Russian Captivity initiative
- Sergej Mad Singer – Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, DJ
- Tomáš Billik – Musician (Marhule), volunteer supporting Ukraine
- Michal Kaščák – Director, Pohoda Festival
- Fedor Blaščák – Director, Open Society Foundation
- General Daniel Zmeko – Former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic
- Petr Kolář – Adviser to the President of the Czech Republic, former Czech Ambassador to the United States
- Jana Kobzová – Political expert on Ukraine
- Vladimír Bednár – Security and military analyst
- Kristína Mikulová – Head of the European Investment Bank Office in Ukraine
- Roman Pataj – Journalist, Denník N
- Katarína Mathernová – Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine
- Tomáš Kopečný – Former Czech Government Commissioner for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, Czech Ammunition Initiative
- Vladimír Šimíček – Founder of the Ambulances for Ukraine and Ammunition for Ukraine fundraising campaigns
- Mamuka Mamulashvili – Commander of the Georgian Legion
- Vlastislav Bříza – Military analyst
- Lenka Víchová – Ukrainian studies expert
- Fr. Oleh Hryhorik – Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest
- Olga Špak – Scientist and Ukrainian activist from Kharkiv