The European Parliament awarded the 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the brave people of Ukraine, represented by President Zelenskyy, Ukrainian elected leaders and civil society. 
  
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, millions of people have been displaced, tens of thousands killed or injured.
 
Yet despite the brutality of the occupying forces and the unimaginable human suffering, the people of Ukraine have refused to bow. 
  
By awarding them with the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament reiterates its solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom and independence.

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Sakharov Prize 2022: The brave people of Ukraine

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Since then, millions have been displaced.

Civilians, residents of the occupied territories

These are just people living in their homes

but forced to either flee from the war or take the brunt

of the ruthless war machine of the Russian elite.

Moscow called the invasion a 'special military operation'

designed to demilitarise and 'de-Nazify' Ukraine.

wide-scale war had returned to the continent of Europe.

The very first missile hit on 26 February,

On the way there, you wonder what awaits you on site

Whether you risk being hit by another rocket,

another missile coming right after the first one.

When we got there, the first thing we did was tackle the fire

and figure out whether anyone was still inside.

In just eight months of full-scale Russian aggression,

we documented 24,000 instances of war crimes.

These are the deliberate destruction of residential buildings,

schools, kindergartens, hospitals and churches,

shootings in evacuation corridors and humanitarian aid zones,

kidnappings, rapes, murders and tortures of civilians

The world was shocked as images of mass graves

towns which became symbols of the brutality

I personally interviewed hundreds of people

They told me terrible stories of how they were beaten,

This is what the Russian Federation has done in our country:

they showed the whole world what they're capable of.

But all of us in Ukraine, our armed forces,

our National Guard, our intelligence services

have shown that it is impossible to kill Ukraine.

It is a country of real people, strong and courageous.

People who felt their strength and showed the world

an example of resilience and perseverance.

Everything that has been done is truly heroic.

The 2022 to Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought

has been awarded to the brave people of Ukraine

Since 2014, Ukraine had been fighting a largely forgotten war.

we are fighting for freedom in every sense.

We are fighting for the freedom to be an independent state,

as well as for the freedom to have a democratic choice.