Nadezhda Savchenko
Nadezhda Savchenko (Надія Савченко), born May 11, 1981, is a Ukrainian former military pilot and politician who gained international attention for her capture and imprisonment in Russia following the conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Savchenko served as a helicopter navigator in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In June 2014, she volunteered to fight alongside the Aidar Battalion, a volunteer paramilitary group, in the Luhansk Oblast. She was captured by pro-Russian separatists near Luhansk and subsequently transferred to Russia. Russian authorities accused her of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists who were killed by mortar fire in the conflict zone. Savchenko vehemently denied the charges, claiming she had been kidnapped and illegally transported across the border into Russia.
Her trial in Russia became a highly publicized and politicized affair. Savchenko maintained her innocence throughout, staging hunger strikes to protest her detention and what she argued was a politically motivated prosecution. She became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and a cause célèbre for international human rights organizations, governments, and individuals who believed she was unjustly imprisoned. Many argued that her capture and trial were violations of international law.
In March 2016, a Russian court convicted Savchenko of complicity in the deaths of the journalists and sentenced her to 22 years in prison. The conviction and sentence drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Numerous calls were made for her release, including from the European Union, the United States, and various human rights groups. Ukraine argued that she was a prisoner of war and demanded her immediate return.
After extensive diplomatic negotiations, Savchenko was released in May 2016 in a prisoner exchange with two Russian citizens who had been convicted in Ukraine of involvement in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Her return to Ukraine was met with jubilation and she was hailed as a national hero.
Following her release, Savchenko entered Ukrainian politics. She was elected as a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) with the Batkivshchyna party. However, her political career was marked by controversy. She adopted a more independent and often unpredictable stance, leading to disagreements with her party and other political factions. Her willingness to engage in direct dialogue with separatist leaders in Eastern Ukraine also drew criticism.
In March 2018, Savchenko was arrested in Ukraine and accused of plotting a terrorist attack against the Ukrainian parliament and government officials. She was eventually released from pre-trial detention in April 2019. The case against her was eventually closed due to lack of evidence, although the specific details surrounding the charges remain a subject of debate.
Nadezhda Savchenko’s life and career have been characterized by both heroism and controversy. Her experiences as a soldier, prisoner, and politician have made her a significant, albeit divisive, figure in modern Ukrainian history.