Olena Abramovych: Ukraine 2023: the fight must go on - even after victory

“We never lose a chance to lose a chance”, the saying goes. A saying which appeared in Ukraine in the years just before full-scale war broke out. It expressed frustration with the lack of fundamental reforms following the 2008 (Orange) and the 2013 (Euromaidan) revolutions. Of course, there were some changes after each of them. But every big fight raises high expectations and the disappointment when little happens is all the greater.

So, what do we need to do in order not to lose a chance for change this time? 

In my view, a credible answer to this question was provided by our Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk. Oleksandra is a human rights lawyer and a civil society leader, so naturally, in her powerful acceptance speech, she put the focus on human rights. 

It might sound far from people's basic needs as described by Russian comedian Evgenii Petrosyan in his New Year greetings: “If you had your food, took a bath and it’s warm in your home, that means that you are lucky and were born in Russia”. But recent events showed that turning a blind eye on human rights violations in Russia, as European leaders did to keep their homes warm and for other economic reasons, can spell disaster.

“A State that kills journalists, imprisons activists, or disperses peaceful demonstrations poses a threat not only to its citizens,” says Matviichuk. “In political decision-making, human rights must be as important as economic benefits or security. This approach should be applied in foreign policy too.”

It’s time to build a new system in the world which has human rights at its core, insists Matviichuk. This should not be left to politicians alone - civil society should be active as much as possible in this process. “We need a new humanist movement that would work with meanings, educate people, build grass-root support and engage people in the protection of rights and freedoms,” says Matviichuk.
 
It’s high time – and a good time - to do a number of reforms in the EU and Ukraine. To switch to more ecological energy resources, without expecting to get Russian gas and oil back. To find ways to stop disinformation and Russian propaganda, and, with the help of the EU, to accomplish the reform of the anticorruption system in Ukraine at long last. 

As the war enters its second year, we need to move towards all these changes. As we've seen, change will not come by itself after a war or revolution, Ukrainians know this very well by now. And this this time there are huge expectations not only in the hearts of Ukrainians, but also in Europeans.  After the victory, the fight to build a new, sustainable and peaceful world is a responsibility of each of us. We cannot lose the chance yet again - neither Ukrainians nor Europeans. 

Olena Abramovych, Ukrainian Television, Brussels correspondent Inter TV-channel