Florence, 1 November 2026 | Ichkeria.net — Government Activities

An international conference held in Florence on 1 November brought together Chechen, Ukrainian and Italian voices to examine the historical connections between Russia’s wars in Chechnya and Ukraine, and the response of European governments over the past three decades.

Entitled “From Chechnya to Ukraine: Russia’s Long War Against Europe”, the event was organised by Ichkeria.net, Europa Radicale and the Representation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Italy.

The conference was moderated by Francesco Benedetti and featured Adriano Sofri, Igor Boni, Oles Horodetskyy and Akhmed Zakayev, Head of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile. Vice-President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno contributed a recorded video message, while Yuliya Muts also addressed the gathering.

A historical argument: from Grozny to Kyiv

The conference opened with a historical presentation tracing developments from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 through the wars in Chechnya, Russia’s military intervention in Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the war in eastern Ukraine and the full-scale invasion of February 2022.

The presentation advanced a central argument: Russia’s war against Ukraine should be understood within a longer history of military intervention, coercion and attempts to maintain influence over neighbouring territories.

A second part examined statements made by European political leaders during these decades, raising questions about how Western governments interpreted and responded to successive Russian military actions. The opening concluded with the question: “What lesson does Europe still need to learn?”

Chechnya and Ukraine: historical memory and political responsibility

Italian writer and journalist Adriano Sofri took part in a discussion on the wars in Chechnya and Ukraine, their historical parallels and the way both conflicts have been perceived by Italian public opinion.

Igor Boni, President of Europa Radicale, participated in a conversation on solidarity with Ukraine and the longstanding involvement of the Radical political tradition in defending human rights and the Chechen cause.

Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, contributed through a recorded video message.

Oles Horodetskyy, President of the Christian Association of Ukrainians in Italy, joined the discussion on Ukrainian national identity, European values and the relationship between the Ukrainian and Chechen struggles for self-determination.

The discussion also recalled the Ukrainian Parliament’s October 2022 resolution recognising the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

Akhmed Zakayev and the continuing struggle for Ichkeria

A central part of the conference was dedicated to Akhmed Zakayev, Head of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile. The discussion placed his political experience within the broader history of Chechnya’s struggle for independence, from the wars of the 1990s to the years of exile and continued international advocacy.

The interview was structured around three fundamental questions: the meaning of homeland, the meaning of courage and the meaning of freedom. Zakayev’s participation brought the perspective of the Chechen independence movement directly into a discussion about Europe’s security, historical memory and political future.

A public record of the conference

The event also included an address by Yuliya Muts. The entire conference was recorded by Radio Radicale, which has made the video and audio available through its public archive. The recording provides a lasting documentary record of the dialogue between representatives of the Chechen independence movement, Ukrainian civil society and European political and intellectual figures.

Watch the full conference: Radio Radicale — full recording