The Ukrainian Bar Association invites you to the VIII South Ukrainian Forum. This year, we are gathering in the country's key logistics and trade hub for a substantive discussion about what is already working for business in infrastructure, logistics, export and import, — and what tools should be used today to act confidently now and be ready for post-war recovery.

Date: September 12, 2025. 

Venue: Odesa.

The program includes clear answers to key business questions:

• Where to find funding for infrastructure projects: grants, loans, international aid — what works in reality, not just on paper?
• What's new in government support for business — and how to get real money?
• How to adapt logistics to new routes and geopolitics when traditional chains no longer work?
• What barriers are currently hindering exports and imports the most — and who can really help remove them?
• Is it worth waiting for Western companies to modernise ports, roads and railways — and how can we prepare for this?
• How can businesses operate under the pressure of mobilisation restrictions, customs barriers and problems with booking employees?

Participants in the forum will include representatives of government agencies, local authorities, international financial organizations, donor programs, banks, insurance companies, investment funds, as well as representatives of businesses in the fields of infrastructure, logistics, port transshipment, agricultural exports, trading, transportation, and storage.

PROGRAM*

09:30-10:00 Participant registration. Welcome coffee

10:00-10:15 Opening remarks

Mykola Stetsenko, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association, Managing Partner AVELLUM 

Diana Yakovleva, Partner at AS Legal, Head of the Ukrainian Bar Association Branch in Odesa Region

Svitlana Sergeyeva, Member of the UBA Board, Partner at Sergeyev's Law Office

10:15-11:30 Session 1. Transformation of the infrastructure market

Moderator: 

Maksym Maksymenko, Partner at AVELLUM, Head of Real Estate and Infrastructure

Focus area:

• Identifying key challenges for Ukraine's infrastructure sector during the war and post-war recovery
• Determining the status quo – the influence of the state, donors and business on the formation of new rules of the game
• Identifying ways to minimise risks for business and attract international partners
• Analysing the model for project implementation – planning, tenders, contracts: current status and expected changes

Experts: 

Mariia Zakharenko, Director of the Recovery and Reform Support Team Mineconomy

Artem Filipyev, Chief Legal Officer at Kernel

Roman Ostroverkh, Director of Roadfreight Department at DSV

Anna Yurchenko, Co-founder of We Build Ukraine, former Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine and Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine for European Integration (2021-2024)

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:20 Session 2. Financing reconstruction, state support, insurance

Moderator: 

Diana Yakovleva, Partner at AS Legal, Head of the Ukrainian Bar Association Branch in Odesa Region

Focus area:

• How businesses can pass the scrutiny of international donors: from ESG compliance to legal ‘hygiene’ of contracts
• State support and business cooperation: from subsidies and grants to cluster models that open up access to financing
• Insurance against military and political risks: real tools for protecting investments and contracts
• Financing infrastructure projects: how businesses and the state share risks in contracts and tenders
• Survival cases: how companies obtained financing and did not lose it due to legal and compliance errors

13:20-14:20 Lunch break

14:20-15:40 Session 3. Transport, logistics

Moderator:

Yuriy Sergeyev, Managing Partner at Sergeyev's Law Office

Focus area:

• Identifying opportunities for involving foreign companies in the modernisation of railways, roads and ports
• Identifying expected steps for Ukraine's integration into the European transport network
• Assessing the adaptation of the transport system to new geopolitical realities, alternative routes for export and import
• Identifying the biggest obstacles to increasing the volume of exports and imports and identifying ways to overcome them

Experts: 

Tetyana Titarenko, Managing Partner at LEGRANT Law Company

Oleksandr Lazariev, CEO at LAMARIN LLC, Co-Chair of the Customs Committee of the European Business Association

15:40-16:10 Coffee break

16:10-17:30 Session 4. Legal Anti-Crisis Toolkit for Business: from risks to solutions

Moderator:

Gryhorii Tripulskyi, Managing Partner at De-Jure Law Firm

The war has placed businesses under constant legal stress-testing. This session will explore how to identify critical risks for teams and operations in advance and apply proven legal tools to prevent operational shutdowns.

Focus areas:

1. Risk assessment: mobilization restrictions, loss of key employees

2. Protection tools:

• Employee deferrals in 2025 — new rules and hidden pitfalls
• Obtaining critical enterprise status: requirements, procedure, and common refusals
• Business and staff relocation: domestic and international aspects, legal nuances and risks

3. Case clinic: how one company successfully managed deferrals and relocation without halting operations

Experts: 

Vladyslav Zaitsev, lawyer at ARES Law Firm, Chairman of the Ukrainian Bar Association's Committee on Migration Law

Serhii Smetanko, Director of the Department of Economic Security and Defense, Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine (invited) 

Labor law specialist 

Representative of Chumak PJSC (invited)

17:30-20:00 Evening reception. Networking

*The event program is in the process of formation and may be changed or supplemented.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the partners of the event, whose support made the Forum possible:

Expert partner: 

ARES Law Firm

Partners:  

AVELLUM

AS Legal

Sergeyev's Law Office

Session Partners:  

Interlegal

LEGRANT Law Company

De-Jure Law Firm

Registration is required to participate in the event.

A 10% corporate discount is available for registrations of three or more participants from the same company. To take advantage of this offer, please contact our coordinator.

Dear UBA members, in order to apply the price determined for members of the Association, we ask you to log in to the website before registering for the event.

Participation is considered confirmed after payment of the registration fee.

The organizers reserve the right to close registration when the maximum number of participants is reached.

For additional information about the event, participation as a speaker, and partnership opportunities, contact the event coordinator at tel.: +38 (044) 492-88-48, +38 (063) 792-30-99 (calls via WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) or email: tosaulenko@uba.ua. Contact person — Tetiana Osaulenko.

For media accreditation, please e-mail: pr@uba.ua. Contact person — Daria Sydorchuk.