Historian Timothy Snyder Joins Kyiv Advocacy Run for Freedom of Ukrainian Prisoners Held by Russia

Today, September 14, Kyiv hosted the advocacy run “Run for Freedom” to support the release of Ukrainian military and civilian prisoners from Russian captivity. The event took place at the National Exhibition Complex ExpoCenter of Ukraine and was initiated by students of the Kyiv School of Economics and prominent historian, Yale University proffesor, and UNITED24 ambassador, Timothy Snyder.

The event was organized by KSE Foundation, DefDev, and the project supporting Mariupol defenders, Heart of Azovstal. Before the start, participants observed a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The run aimed to remind the world of the many Ukrainians, both military and civilian, who are still being held in captivity by Russia. According to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, approximately 28,000 Ukrainians remain in enemy captivity.

About 1,000 people participated in the event, running either 5 or 10 kilometers. The participants included students, military personnel, veterans, relatives of prisoners, and released Ukrainians, all uniting for the cause of securing freedom for those still detained.

The winners of the 5-kilometer race were Roman Romanenko, Vitaliy Chuyan, and Andriy Burda among men, and Nataliya Voloshyna, Yevheniya Kucherenko, and Iryna Haltsova among women. In the 10-kilometer category, Artem Kazban, Serhiy Bondar, and Vitaliy Nedozhdi came first among men, while Tetiana Hramatikova, Olena Khanchanrva, and Oleksandra Deynega led the women’s race.