Mr Hanno Pevkur

Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia

Mr Hanno Pevkur assumed office as the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia on 18 July 2022. Prior to that, he was a member of the 13th and 14th Riigikogu from 2016 to 2022 and has held several ministerial positions: Minister of the Interior (2014-2016), Minister of Justice (2012-2014), and Minister of Social Affairs (responsible for the fields of work, health, and social protection). Having started his career in law, he went on to serve in the Nõmme District Administration in Tallinn in 2000-2005, first as an administrative secretary and later as city district elder. In 2005–2007, he was a member of the Tallinn City Council, Chairman of the Nõmme District Administrative Board, and an advisor to the Minister of Justice. In 2007–2009, he was a member of the 11th Riigikogu. 

Brigadier General (ret) Dr Klaus Wittmann

Brigadier General (ret) Dr Klaus Wittmann was born in Lübeck in 1946. In October 2008 he ended 42 years of Bundeswehr service that included troop command (rocket artillery battalion and armoured brigade); academic phases (university studies in history and political science at Hamburg University with a Ph.D., as well as a year at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London); political-military work in the German Ministry of Defence and at NATO Headquarters, and positions in higher military education (Director of the Faculty at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr, Hamburg, and, in his last assignment, Director Academic Planning and Policy at the NATO Defense College, Rome). He was closely involved in the creation of NATO’s 1991 and 1999 Strategic Concepts. Numerous publications on historical strategic and security policy subjects. Until 2020 he was Senior Fellow with the Aspen Institute Germany, and he teaches contemporary history at Potsdam University. Publicly. At present, he is a frequent public commentator on Russia’s War against Ukraine.

Dr Jānis Bērziņš

Dr Bērziņš is a senior researcher and former director of the Center for Security and Strategic Research (CSSR) at the National Defense Academy of Latvia, a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of New Generation Warfare, and The Saratoga Foundation. His work focuses on the juxtaposition between the theoretical developments of Russian Military Thought and the operational reality on the ground. This includes both the hybrid and conventional aspects of warfare, such as influence, information, and psychological operations. Dr Bērziņš has lectured as a guest in the United States, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Singapore, Belgium, Brazil, Estonia and Lithuania at various academic and defense institutions. They include the New York University, the Johns Hopkins University, the George C. Marshall Center European Center for Security Studies, the Swedish Defense University, the Swedish Defense Research Agency, the Norwegian Military Academy, the US Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the NATO’s Special Operations Command Europe, the NATO/SHAPE Brunssum Headquarters, among others. Dr Bērziņš has advised the United Kingdom House of Commons’ Defense Select Committee, the Parliament of Singapore, the Swedish Government and the Polish Government. He has advised the Ministry of Defense of Singapore regarding Strategic Communications, influence, information, and psychological operations. He has also provided expertise about Russia’s doctrine for the US Department of Defense and Russia’s strategic issues for the private sector.

Ambassador Pierre Lévy

Ambassador Pierre Lévy was the Ambassador of France to Russia from January 2020 to August 2024. He spent most of his career dealing with European issues and Eastern European countries as Ambassador to Poland (2016 – 2019), to the Czech Republic (2009 – 2013) and in Germany (1986-1999). At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held various positions: Director of the European Union (2013 – 2016), Head of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Department (2002 – 2005), Deputy Director of the office of Pierre Moscovici, Minister for European Affairs (1997 – 2002). Amb. Pierre Lévy has been Director of the Policy Planning Staff (C.A.P. Centre d’analyse et de prévision) of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (2005 – 2009), and Secretary general of the White Paper Commission on France’s Foreign and European Policy (October 2007 – July 2008). He has been also DCM in Singapore. Previously, he was Deputy Director of the Economic and Financial Affairs Directorate, then of the European Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He began his career in various positions at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, successively concerning foreign trade policy and relations with Asia. Amb. Pierre Lévy is a graduate of the ESCP Europe business school, the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences po) and advanced studies in economics from the University of Paris IX Dauphine. He is a former student of the Ecole nationale d’administration (1983 “Solidarity”).

Mr Kaimo Kuusk

Mr Kaimo Kuusk assumed the position of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Estonia in September 2024. Before being appointed as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Kaimo Kuusk served as Estonia’s Ambassador to Lithuania. Before that, he was the Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine, where he coordinated the delivery of Estonia’s military aid following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. From 1998 to 2019, Mr Kuusk held various positions in the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, with the last nine years as Deputy Director General. In 2019, he began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bureau. Mr Kaimo Kuusk graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in political science and furthered his education in the Civil Servants’ Course at the Baltic Defence College and the University of Oslo. In addition to Estonian, he is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Ms Yuliia Dukach

Ms Yuliia Dukach, PhD, the Head of Disinformation Investigations at OpenMinds, a cognitive defense tech company dedicated to countering authoritarian influence in the fight for free and open societies. With over five years of experience in investigative data journalism and multiple awards recognising her work, she is a leading expert in disinformation research. At OpenMinds, she plays a key role in developing innovative analytics and investigative projects, uncovering the hidden dynamics of information warfare and propaganda. Renowned for its ability to access hard-to-reach regions through advanced technology and deep local expertise, OpenMinds collaborates with governments of Ukraine and NATO member states, leading communication agencies, and prominent think tanks. Over the past two years, OpenMinds has executed more than 380 counter-disinformation campaigns and conducted 55 research projects on societal resilience and the impact of propaganda, with a particular focus on the Russo-Ukrainian war. The company’s work has been featured in leading global media outlets, including The Times, The Economist, CNN, The Financial Times, The Guardian, and more.

Ambassador Matti Maasikas

Ambassador Matti Maasikas is a seasoned diplomat and expert in European affairs with extensive experience in international relations, EU diplomacy, and policy advising. Born on June 12, 1967, in Tallinn, Estonia, he graduated from Tartu University in 1993 with a degree in history. Currently serving as the Managing Director for Europe at the European External Action Service (EEAS), Amb. Maasikas has held numerous high-profile positions in both national and European institutions. From 2019 to 2023, he was the Ambassador – Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, playing a key role in EU-Ukraine relations. Previously, he served as Deputy Minister for EU Affairs of Estonia, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the EU, and Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His career also includes advisory roles within the European Commission and diplomatic postings as Estonia’s Ambassador to Finland. Fluent in Estonian, English, Finnish, German, Ukrainian, Russian, French, and Swedish, Amb. Maasikas brings a wealth of diplomatic expertise and a deep understanding of European and international affairs to his current role.