Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, civic resilience remains central to the country’s ability to withstand outside aggression. What has life under occupation looked like for ordinary Ukrainians? How do media and official discourses shape public perceptions of the occupation? How have these perceptions and discourses about them influenced social relations? This event explored occupation as both a historical phenomenon and a lived experience, linking journalistic, legal, military, historical, psychological, and social perspectives to explore the heterogeneity of experiences across the country. Drawing on sociological insights and firsthand journalistic accounts, it examined how the Russian invasion has tested individual, communal, and national resilience to paint a clearer picture of Ukrainian society today.