Russia is fighting for a world that strips you of freedom, agency, and humanity
I spent two years in a Russian penal colony watching what Russia wants for the rest of us.
Maksym Butkevych
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Maksym Butkevych is a Ukrainian human rights defender, journalist, and former prisoner of war. He co-founded the ZMINA Human Rights Centre and Hromadske Radio, joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2022, and was captured by Russian forces in Luhansk Oblast in June 2022.
He was held in a Russian penal colony for more than two years before his release in a prisoner exchange in October 2024, and received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize in September 2025. He co-founded the Principle of Hope charitable foundation in 2025 and works on the release and reintegration of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian captives.