19.12.2025, 18:00, An Evening with Maksym Butkevych

Maksym Butkevych is known in Ukraine and abroad for his human rights activism, his critical journalism, his pacifist and antifascist beliefs, and his role among the Ukrainian anarchist community.

After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he joined to the Ukrainian army to fight against the encroaching Russian occupation. In June 2022, he was captured in Eastern Ukraine as a prisoner of war, was tortured into confession and sentenced to 13 years in prison. After 28 months in prison in occupied Luhansk Oblast, Butkevych was released in a prisoner swap in October 2024. 

Since his release, he has stayed very active: He has spoken out at events, met with politicians in various countries, published a book, continued writing, and received the Václav Havel human rights prize for outstanding civil society action.

Maksym Butkevych will share his personal imprisonment story, providing insights to the psyche of his Russian captors, and speak about his activism, his political beliefs, solidarity and the international left and introduce the German print of his book “Am Richtigen Platz” (2024, Anthea). The book will be available at the event. 

The event will be held in English and moderated by Eduard Klein (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa) and Norbert Schäfer (Rosa Luxemburg Initiative Bremen).

The event is organised by Forschungsstelle Osteuropa and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.