For her consistent, courageous commitment to human rights, freedom, and democracy, our 2025 Millennial of the Year is Oleksandra Matviichuk.

The Ukrainian human rights lawyer, who leads the Center for Civil Liberties, which won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, has documented war crimes, called for accountability for the architects of such crimes, and promoted democracy and human rights in Ukraine and abroad. She has championed realistic steps toward a just, sustainable peace in Ukraine and called for new frameworks internationally to create a more just, secure world.

As the US under President Donald Trump retreats from its commitment to these values, emulating the cynical, might-makes-right worldview of Russia, China, and other dictatorships, she has put forward an alternative worldview and vision—one that is realistic and clear-eyed but rooted in universal values and solidarity.

Trump aide Stephen Miller recently told CNN’s Jake Tapper: “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.”

Oleksandra Matviichuk sees beyond such cynical, morally obtuse reasoning to a world where human dignity is recognized, affirmed, and protected; the common good is sought; and our mutual responsibilities to one another shape our actions:

“How can global solidarity become our passion? Our world has become very complex and interconnected. Right now, people in Iran are fighting for their freedom. People in China are resisting the digital dictatorship. People in Somalia are bringing child soldiers back to peaceful life. They know better than anyone what it means to be human and stand up for human dignity. Our future depends on their success. We are responsible for everything that happens in the world.”

While Putin, Trump, and others may see Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as a simple clash of interests or contest for power, she has framed the true nature of the conflict:

“This is not a war between two states, it is a war of two systems – authoritarianism and democracy. We are fighting for the opportunity to build a state in which everyone’s rights are protected, authorities are accountable, courts are independent, and the police do not beat peaceful student demonstrations in the central square of the capital.”

We do not have to capitulate to living in a world dominated by selfish, power-hungry strongmen who trample upon democracy, human rights, human dignity, and freedom. We must resist the slide to authoritarianism and wars of conquest. And to do so, we must come together in solidarity. Oleksandra Matviichuk is showing us how to do that.