Echoes from Ukraine

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Ukrainians found themselves in roles they never anticipated. Lyudmyla Tautiyeva was one of them. An expert in international policy, born in Luhansk, she suddenly found herself on French television, pushing back against decades of distorted narratives about her country and reminding audiences what is truly at stake: the fight against an evil imperialism, war crimes, and the future of Europe. With Lyudmyla, for Echoes from Ukraine, we discuss her journey, the importance of independent media and civic engagement in shaping the country’s future, ongoing reforms, the role of innovation, and more.

A Voice Born in Luhansk

Lyudmyla Tautiyeva was born and raised in Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine shaped by its industrial legacy. In her neighborhood, many residents were elderly or struggling with addiction. It was not an environment that naturally encouraged political or international ambition. Yet from an early age, she developed an enthusiasm for languages, a passion that would carry her far beyond her hometown. At fifteen, she was selected for the Future Leaders Exchange Program, a US-funded initiative that brought promising students from post-Soviet countries into American high schools. The experience was transformative. For the first time, she saw how governance shaped quality of life. “Why do people live so differently in America?” she asked herself. The answer, she realized, lay not in luck, but in political decisions.

Educated for Impact

Back in Ukraine, she set her sights on international relations, eager to combine her language skills with a growing political consciousness. She chose to focus on French, which she had studied at school, and enrolled at Kyiv National Linguistic University to deepen her language and cultural knowledge. In 2015, her ambition brought her to Paris, where she was admitted to a master’s program in political science at Panthéon-Assas University. After graduation, a chance encounter led her to the OECD, where she joined a team working on Ukraine’s reforms. She spent two years immersed in policy design and evaluation, but could not secure a permanent position due to nationality constraints (Ukraine is not a member of the organisation). She moved on to the United Nations in Geneva to continue working on Eastern Europe. By early 2022, she was awarded a full scholarship to Cambridge. It was a moment of joy and pride, a milestone for the little girl from Luhansk.

When Words Become Weapons

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Lyudmyla was just settling into her new academic life. The first weeks passed in a fog of disbelief and urgency. Then came the calls from journalists, producers, newsrooms. French media, still shaped in part by Soviet-era rhetoric, needed Ukrainian voices. She hadn’t planned to become one of them, but the need was too great. She became a regular voice in the public debate, not by design, but by necessity. Each intervention became an act of resistance. She pushed back against narratives that framed Ukraine as merely peripheral to Russia, insisting on its identity and its European future. The exposure brought pressure, online abuse, and emotional fatigue but also deep gratitude. Messages poured in from French citizens saying her words had helped them understand. That response gave her strength. Speaking out became part of the war effort.

Institutional Integrity and European Destiny

For Lyudmyla, the struggle for Ukraine’s future is inseparable from the question of governance. Reforming the judiciary is, in her view, one of the most urgent tasks. She sees real progress since 2016: the adoption of a new civil service law, supported by the OECD’s SIGMA programme, laid the groundwork for a more professional administration. More recently, raising public sector salaries was a key step to reduce corruption risks. These are not cosmetic reforms. Corruption persists, but Lyudmyla rejects simplistic judgments from abroad. Many EU member states face similar challenges. And yet, the stakes are higher for Ukraine. This transformation is not only vital for internal stability it is also essential for the country’s European aspirations. For Kyiv, aligning with the rule-of-law standards of the EU is not a theoretical goal but a precondition for accession. Brussels watches closely, and public trust in European institutions depends on Ukraine’s ability to meet its commitments. Strengthening the judiciary, building credible institutions, and ensuring transparency signal Ukraine’s readiness to join the European community not as a burden, but as a partner.

The Other Army: Ukraine’s Civic Watchdogs

For her, reforms are not just boxes to tick for foreign donors; they are first and foremost demanded by Ukrainian society. Journalists, watchdogs, and citizens continue to hold the authorities accountable, even under bombardment. Asked who influences her thinking, Lyudmyla names Volodymyr Portnikov first, a journalist and public intellectual she sees as embodying clarity, integrity, and vision. She also follows Yuriy Nikolov, whose investigative reporting has exposed major corruption scandals, and listens to the podcast he co-hosts with Vitaliy Shabunin, a vital source of independent analysis in her view. These voices are not always consensual, but they are independent, and that, for Lyudmyla, is what matters most. Even during wartime, she insists, critical journalism is not a luxury, it is a democratic necessity. While the government centralized national broadcasting early in the war, she warns against long-term overreach. Scrutiny must never be suspended. In this constellation of independent journalists, analysts, and civic leaders, she finds trust. They uphold the truth, keep institutions in check, and remind her, and all of us, that Ukraine’s fight is not only about borders but also about dignity, accountability, and the right to define one’s own future.

Ukraine’s Innovation Turn

In her current role as a Policy Analyst at the European Future Innovation System (EFIS) Centre, Lyudmyla focuses on Ukraine’s transformation through science and technology. For too long, the country underinvested in research and development. The war changed that. Innovation is now seen as a matter of sovereignty, a strategic tool not just for survival but for long-term resilience.
To her, for Ukraine to win the long game, it must move up the value chain: exporting not just raw materials but high-value goods. That requires investment in innovation, logistics, and automation, not only to rebuild but to redefine the economy. Lyudmyla highlights the agility of the ICT sector, which rebounded quickly after the invasion. It supports both defense and civilian sectors, from healthcare to education. As one example, she points to the adaptation of drones for agricultural use, enhancing productivity and plugging Ukrainian innovation into European value chains.

A Bridge Between Ukraine and Europe

Now a dual citizen of France and Ukraine, Lyudmyla draws on both identities to help bring Ukraine and Europe closer together. Her work focuses on linking civic engagement with concrete policy solutions, so that Ukraine’s transformation fits within a broader European project. She contributes through European initiatives, international research collaborations, and targeted support for local efforts. Regularly travelling to Ukraine, she stays close to civil society and has become Board Member for 2025 of Professional Government Association (PGA), an NGO gathering western-educated Ukrainians supporting the democratic transition of Ukraine and public sector reform. Lyudmyla has already brought PGA ‘s voices to French National Assembly in March 2025 in a conference to ramp up support to Ukraine in defense and in its European aspirations. Lyudmyla is convinced that lasting change can only come through collective action across borders which firmly settled Ukraine as undeniable part of Europe in the mental map of every European citizen.