Vitaliy & Wladimir Klitschko

Mayor of Kyiv and Chairman of Klitschko Foundation

On February 13, 2026, the TUM Speakers Series, in partnership with Munich Security Conference (MSC), welcomed Vitaliy Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv and Wladimir Klitschko, Chairman of Klitschko Foundation to the Audimax at TUM’s main campus for an inspiring keynote and Q&A.

Due to the devastating situation in Kyiv right now, Vitaliy Klitschko, who is serving as the city’s mayor could not attend in person.

Therefore, the event started with a video message from him, standing on Independence Square (Майдан Незалежності) in Kyiv, expressing the resistance of the people of Ukraine since the illegal Russian full-scale invasion in 2022.

After the message, his brother Wladimir joined us on the stage of the Audimax to give a thought-provoking keynote on his transition from one of the world’s best boxers to fighting for his country. Thus he also provided our guests with valuable learnings from his background in sports and how they still help him in his most important fight. For instance the FACE Method, an acronym for Focus, Agility, Coordination and Endurance. Wladimir also raised the spirits of our audience with statements like “Putin’s Russia will not conquer Ukraine!”

After his keynote, Wladimir Klitschko elaborated on the work for the Klitschko Foundation, his charity focussing on helping young Ukrainians and children. He stressed the importance of protecting children in the ravages of war and told the audience gruesome stories about children disappearing in the illegally occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine, stating “we will fight for every child because every life matters!” After the moderated discussion he was answering questions from our guests in the audience.

The event ended with standing ovations from the completely booked-out Audimax for Vitaliy and Wladimir Klitschko!

A sincere thank-you to both Vitaliy and Wladimir Klitschko, Munich Security Conference, TUM Vice President Prof. Dr. Juliane Winkelmann for her warm welcoming words and the entire TUM Speakers Series Team for making this memorable evening possible!

Photos: Andreas Heddergott (TUM)