The Danish government is supporting the KSE Institute, the think tank of the Kyiv School of Economics, in establishing the Center for Geoeconomics and Resilience and the Sanctions Hub of Excellence as one of its key pillars. 

The Center will start by expanding KSE’s ongoing work on sanctions through the launch of the Sanctions Hub in 2025, with a broader macroeconomic research stream to be fully developed in 2026. 

The project aims to strengthen analytical capacity in the areas of sanctions policy, economic resilience, and post-war recovery amid Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine within the country—building on KSE Institute’s extensive and internationally recognized work on sanctions since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In addition, it expands the existing close cooperation between the Institute and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Center will conduct economic analysis of the impact of sanctions, develop proposals for new restrictive measures against Russia, and deepen research into the operations of the shadow fleet. In parallel, the team will work on analyzing Ukraine’s macroeconomic stability, developing scenarios for its economic recovery, and supporting the country’s integration into the European Union.

Benjamin Hilgenstock will serve as the Center’s Director, and Yuliia Pavytska will be the Head of the Sanctions Hub.

Key experts such as Nataliia Shapoval (President of KSE Institute), Elina Ribakova (Director of the International Affairs Program and Vice President for Foreign Policy at KSE), Anna Vlasyuk (Head of International Law and Policy Research), and Borys Dodonov (Head of the Center for Energy and Climate Studies) will be instrumental for the Center’s work.

Olena Bilousova, Anatoliy Kravtsev, Kateryna Olkhovyk, Dmytro Pokryshka, Pavlo Shkurenko, Lucas Risinger, and Matvii Talalaievskyi will also join the Sanctions Hub and continue their outstanding work on sanctions.

“We are deeply grateful to the Government of Denmark for its trust and support. Denmark is one of the leaders in the sanctions coalition, setting pressure on Russia. Today, it is investing in KSE and in Ukraine — in the ability to act, strategically think, strengthen the economy, and create our shared European future,” said Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics.

The support for KSE Institute is part of Denmark’s broader assistance to Ukraine. The project is funded through the Danish Research Reserve and the Ukraine Transition Programme, with additional contributions from the Peace and Stabilisation Fund in 2025, financed by the Ministry of Defence of Denmark and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

It is anticipated that KSE will open a satellite office in Copenhagen, hosted by the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). This will strengthen cooperation between Ukrainian and Nordic analytical institutions on sanctions, economic resilience, and European integration.

“We sincerely thank Denmark for this support and are proud of our partnership. It will allow us to do even more — deepen sanctions analysis, identify circumvention schemes, and help partners take decisive action. This cooperation will also help to better understand economic risks, plan for recovery, and identify solutions that bring Ukraine closer to the EU,” said Nataliia Shapoval, President of the KSE Institute.

The establishment of the Center for Geoeconomics and Resilience and the Sanctions Hub of Excellence will further strengthen KSE Institute’s role as a leading analytical institution for research on sanctions, Ukraine’s economic recovery, and economic resilience.

The Kyiv School of Economics expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of Denmark — including the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defence — for its strategic partnership and trust. Together, we are building the institutional foundation for cooperation that enhances sanctions policy, develops new approaches to recovery, and supports Ukraine’s path toward European integration.