She is not only a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She is not only one of the most visible human-rights defenders in Europe in recent decades. She is not only a tireless activist with profound empathy for others. She is also a thinker — someone who reflects deeply on the moral foundations of freedom and dignity.

Our guest today is Oleksandra Matviychuk, a prominent Ukrainian human-rights defender and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss the moral ideas that hold Ukrainian society together.

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Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media platform about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en

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Donations are welcome via PayPal at: [email protected].

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CONTENTS:

00:00 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk: On Freedom, Dignity, and War

02:24 "Not Nobel Peace Prize changed my life - the large-scale war has changed my life"

08:32 Torture, rape, enforced disappearances, filtration camps — the reality of Russian occupation

11:55 Why are Ukrainians not "ideal victims"?

15:57 The horror of Russian captivity: Ihor Kozlovskyi`s experience

19:44 Why is freedom existential for Ukrainians?

24:16 Ukrainian strength lies in the people's belief that their efforts matter

31:38 Over 170,000 registered Russian war crimes in Ukraine

32:18 Why is justice important now, not after the end of the war?

35:41 Why is the Russian war against Ukraine genocidal?

43:50 What gives Oleksandra Matviichuk hope today?

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The podcast episode is produced by UkraineWorld with the support of the Askold and Dir Fund as a part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine - a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia, funded by Norway and Sweden. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of UkraineWorld and can in no way be taken to reflect the views the Government of Norway, the Government of Sweden and ISAR