“The first reference to the military elite at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy dates back 400 years. Then Hetman Petro Sahaidachny joined Kyiv Brotherhood with the Zaporozhian Cossack Army. From now on you are among Ukrainian military leaders, who joined the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. But nowadays, the world puts different ultimately requirements for each of you. Strategic leadership is about the ability to be a gamechanger, to deal with concepts, to design complex systems, and to interact with other players. Good luck to you all, colleagues! And thank you for your cooperation,” Oleksandr Savruk congratulated the graduates of the Strategic Leadership Program in Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine.

On March 5, strategic leaders acquired their degrees of Master of Public Administration in the security and defense sector of Ukraine.

For 14 months they were analyzing the complexity of both current and future security environments, their impact on core state systems, government and interagency cooperation, studied institutional leadership concepts, and simulated complex systems in the security and defense sectors.

Ukrainian strategic leaders are studying at kmbs under the leadership of Helena Savruk since 2017. The program continues to develop because of the School's focus on strengthen the leadership skills required for managers of strategic level as well as by the trust of international partners in the expertise of kmbs teachers.

Linda Smith, the UK's Special Defence Advisor, stated at the graduation ceremony that her country supports the program due to its added value that participants receive during training at kmbs. She noted the international level of the School's expertise and the teachers' profound knowledge of the Ukrainian context.

Francois-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, also congratulated the graduates on the completion of an important stage. He claimed, “Each of you has already served your country, but in the new world with its challenges only your skills and community of like-minded people will help you in such leadership journey.” He announced that the military cooperation program extended its funding of kmbs programs designed for strategic leaders and strategic architects for another two years. He called these investments Canada's contribution to the reform of Ukraine and to a better future for every Ukrainian.