Maksym Butkevych is a Ukrainian journalist, human rights activist, and war veteran. He holds a degree in philosophy from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and an MA in anthropology from the University of Sussex. 

Maksym’s extensive media career includes roles at various Ukrainian TV channels and the BBC World Service in London, as well as co-founding the independent Hromadske Radio. A dedicated advocate for human rights and social justice, he has focused on assisting refugees, protesting war, discrimination and racism, supporting freedom of speech and assembly. 

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was subsequently captured. Despite being sentenced to 13 years by a Russian court in a fabricated case, he was released in October 2024 after 28 months in captivity. In 2025, he co-founded the “Principle of Hope” Charitable Foundation alongside Hanna Pochtarenko and was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 

While he was in captivity, collections of his essays were published in French and German, solidifying his international impact.