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Almedalsveckan (Almedalen Week) 2026, Visby,
25 June
What can Sweden learn from Ukraine, where food supply systems are tested by war on a daily basis? Nataliya Galan participates in a seminar organized by ICA Sweden, sharing insights from the RELENT project on how entrepreneurial agency, collaboration, and innovation contribute to maintaining food supply under extreme conditions of wartime.
Read about the event [in Swedish] here.
Industry Day 2026 / Food, Courage and Resilience, Nifa – Nordic Innovation Food Arena,
25 March 2026
RELENT presents “Retail that sustains.”
In the midst of war, Ukrainian grocery retail not only keeps its stores open, it also helps hold society together. Nataliya Galan and Malin Sundström discuss how grocery stores in Ukraine are becoming critical community nodes, where retail also takes on a societal role, driven by entrepreneurial initiative, courage and improvisation.
Read about the event [in Swedish] here.
University West, Opinion article,
23 January 2026
“In war and crisis, we need a ‘we’.”
In an guest opinion article published in the Swedish newspapers TTELA and Bohusläningen, we reflect on how war and crises reshape societal conditions and reveal our mutual dependence. Experiences from Ukraine show that companies are not only economic actors but also important societal pillars when institutions are under pressure. To strengthen societal resilience, companies should not be seen as bystanders in times of crisis but as partners in preparedness and crisis response. In war and crisis, an “I” is not enough; what we need is a “we”.
Read the article [in Swedish] here.
TTELA, Opinion article,
21 January 2026
“Stop seeing companies as bystanders when crises strike.”
The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have clearly shown how vulnerable our societies can be. In this guest opinion article, we argue that companies should not be seen as bystanders when crises occur, but as important societal actors. Experiences from both the pandemic and the war show that entrepreneurial initiative, collaboration and trust between governments, businesses and citizens are crucial for strengthening societal preparedness and resilience.
Read the article [in Swedish] here.
Bohusläningen, Opinion article,
21 January 2026
“Stop seeing companies as bystanders when crises strike.”
The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have clearly shown how vulnerable our societies can be. In this guest opinion article, we argue that companies should not be seen as bystanders when crises occur, but as important societal actors. Experiences from both the pandemic and the war show that entrepreneurial initiative, collaboration and trust between governments, businesses and citizens are crucial for strengthening societal preparedness and resilience.
Read the article [in Swedish] here.
Bohlins, Nils Bohlin,
5 December 2025
“What can we learn from Ukraine?”
The war in Ukraine raises difficult questions about societal vulnerability, but also about what we can learn. This article discusses how experiences from Ukraine can provide important insights for strengthening Sweden’s food preparedness. In particular, it highlights the central role of grocery retail in maintaining food supply during crises and the need to develop more robust systems in which the state and the private sector jointly build preparedness that goes beyond today’s “just-in-time” logic. The article draws on materials from the RELENT project.
Read the article [in Swedish] here.
Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council/Handelsrådet, Newsletter,
17 September 2025
”With Ukraine as a leading example”
The RELENT project is featured in the Handelsrådet’s newsletter.
Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council/Handelsrådet, Interview with Nataliya Galan,
17 September 2025
How can food supply be maintained during war or other severe societal crises? In this interview, Nataliya Galan presents the research project RELENT, where Ukraine serves as an important example. By studying how grocery retailers in Ukraine operate under extreme uncertainty, the project explores how entrepreneurial thinking and rapid adaptation can help strengthen the resilience of the food system.
Read the interview [in Swedish] here.
Via TT, Press release,
9 September 2025
“Retail research in step with the times”
In a press release from Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council (Handelsrådet), the research projects funded in the latest call are presented. One of them is our two-year research project on resilient grocery retail, where Ukraine serves as a starting point for understanding how grocery retail can maintain food supply during war and other severe societal disruptions. The project examines how entrepreneurial thinking and rapid adaptation can help strengthen the resilience of retail in times of crisis.
Read the press release here.
Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council/Handelsrådet,
1 September 2025
Handelsrådet presents the funded research project “Resilient food retail – lessons from Ukraine on entrepreneurial adaptation in times of war”.