Nobel Peace Prize winner and Ukrainian human rights lawyer takes message to Tallahassee

A prominent Ukrainian human rights lawyer is meeting with various individuals and groups this week, sharing the realities of Russia’s war on Ukraine, including its impacts on democracy.

Oleksandra Matviichuk is based in Kyiv where she leads the Center for Civil Liberties, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. That same year, she was recognized by Financial Times as one of the top 25 most influential women in the world.

In early 2022, she created the “Tribunal for Putin” initiative with other partners to document international crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in Ukraine. Through her work, Matviichuk has cataloged approximately 80,000 Russian crimes over the last decade.

Over the weekend, Matviichuk delivered remarks at Florida State University in a talk entitled “Defending Democracy and Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.” Moderated by the FSU Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Political Science, the talk and other scheduled events are a joint venture between FSU’s Ukraine Task Force and its College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.

Matviichuk participated in a Q&A session Monday morning, and she’s scheduled later in the day to participate in a fireside chat with Timothy Chapin, the FSU Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, and Vilma Fuentes, who serves as the Program Director for FSU’s Ukraine Task Force.

“Florida State University’s Ukraine Task Force is such a powerful voice in American academia, and I am grateful for the opportunity to say thank you to the United States for its continued support for Ukraine and the people of Florida for standing for freedom,” Matviichuk said.

Matviichuk is also meeting Monday with Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey to discuss her work and ongoing issues between Ukraine and Russia.

Matviichuk also spoke at Good Shepherd Catholic Church where she outlined what she describes as war crimes by Russia President Vladimir Putin, including against religious leaders.

The visits come as the Russian invasion of Ukraine nears its three-year anniversary, and as Russian troops continue to make gains. President Donald Trump has said he’s making progress in talks with Putin to end the war. Russia is suffering significant loss of life in the conflict, as well as stiff sanctions over its invasion.

But Russia’s economy is surviving, and there seems to be little indication that Putin is feeling the pressure to end the war, according to reports.

Trump has not outlined how he plans to end the conflict, but on Sunday said he’s been in contact with “both sides,” according to Reuters. And the Kremlin has reportedly said Trump won’t force Putin into peace talks, the Independent reported.