Daria Kaleniuk first gained prominence fighting corruption in Ukraine—a major impediment to the country’s democratic project. But Russia’s full-scale invasion forced the country’s most prominent anticorruption activist to shift focus.
Kaleniuk has since become a leading civil-society voice for Ukraine’s defense. Having co-founded the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, she reminds all of us of what’s at stake. Ukraine is on the front line for democracies in fending off autocratic assault. And Ukraine fights for its territorial integrity so that other nations need not suffer a similar fate.
Kaleniuk shines a spotlight on Russian war crimes by detailing the personal consequences for individual Ukrainians. And she shames the oligarchs and companies who profit by pumping money into the Russian war machine.
Her passion for her country’s independence and freedom is a powerful complement to the troops confronting Russian forces in the fields and trenches. She reminds us why this is a battle worth waging.
Roth is a visiting professor at Princeton and the former executive director of Human Rights Watch
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