On 27 March 2025 the SHAPEDEM-EU project had its Steering Group meeting to discuss the results and findings of individual Work Packages and plan the remaining 6 months of the project. WP2, led by Prof. Korosteleva and Dr Asya Kudlenko, was proud to report that all its deliverables have been either met or on track to be met for their respective deadlines.

Professor Korosteleva was invited to attend the 2025 Chatham House 'Security and Defence' conference held on 6 March 2025. The conference brought together over 600 global policymakers, senior military and armed forces figures, business leaders and civil society experts. Keynotes included Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Zaluzhnyi, UK Ministers and NATO senior officials, high-level panel dialogues, and ‘under-the-Rule’ spotlights.

Prof. Elena Korosteleva and Dr Paul Hansbury were invited to the reception organised by the FCDO in the Locarno Suite, for the experts and researchers supporting the FCDO activities. The reception was addressed by the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty MP, who stressed the difficult geopolitical situation in the wider Europe, and the need for closer collaboration with academia and practitioners to address the challenges of peace and security in Ukraine especially.

On 17 January 2025 WUB-hub, Prof. Korosteleva and Dr Hansbury, were invited to welcome a new cohort of Belarusian-in-exile John Smith Trust Fellows, a UK government initiative, hosted by Baroness Suttie, House of Lords. Discussion focused on the issues of the forthcoming non-election in Belarus, political prisoners, and Belarusian refugees; and various initiatives to support the democratic course of Belarus.

In partnership with NATO PDD, and Stockholm Centre for East European Studies (SCEEUS), WUB-hub organised a high-level European Belarus Forum on 13 December 2025 at the Mission of Belarus Democratic Forces, in Brussels, as part of the Belarus week. The event was attended by Belarusian experts, and representatives of NATO, EU institutions, Swedish diplomats and Belarusian democratic forces. Major challenges and opportunities for Belarus 2025 were discussed, as well as the support for capacity-building of intellectual and social capital within the country. The event was preceded by a book pre-launch of 'The Unbroken Generation: Youth Voices of Belarus 2020', to be released in January 2025, by Skaryna Press, with the support of WUB-hub Research England funds.