Swiss authorities' ban on bringing Shahed drone to Davos exhibition is deceptive defense – Pinchuk

Organizers of the exhibition "Ukraine: Future's Frontline," which opened at the Ukrainian House in Davos on Monday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, were forced to cancel the planned display of the downed Russian-Iranian attack drone Shahed, hundreds of which attack Ukraine almost daily, due to a ban by some Swiss authorities.

"Some Swiss authorities did not allow us to display even a single Shahed drone. We said, fine, we’ll remove all the equipment and chips and show only the casing. Nevertheless, we were still not granted permission to display it," said Victor Pinchuk, whose foundation organized the exhibition together with the PinchukArtCentre and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Pinchuk said he believes there is a trend in the West and Europe to protect citizens in this way and avoid harming their psychological well-being.

"But I think it is much better to see these drones here so that people can then change their attitudes and themselves. Our message to you, our wonderful Western European friends, is: act like Ukrainians, change like Ukrainians, and let’s win together," the businessman said.

He added that on the day of the exhibition’s opening, following another Russian attack, more than 5,600 apartment buildings in Kyiv were left without heating in severe cold.

The exhibition, highlighting the risk of the war spreading to Europe and the importance of achieving peace through strength, will feature works by Ukrainian artists Oleksiy Say, Yarema Malaschuk, and Roman Khimey, as well as Damien Hirst’s piece Incomplete Truth. One work is a video generated by artificial intelligence showing similar attack drones striking Davos and other well-known Western cities.

"One of the artists at this exhibition put it in his own style: change or die. Sorry for my very blunt language, but that is one of the main messages," the organizer said.

The project "Ukraine: Future's Frontline" includes not only the exhibition but also a three-day discussion program focused on Ukraine as a testing ground for the future of security, innovation and reconstruction.