US historian leads charity run in Kyiv to highlight the plight of Ukrainian POWs

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U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder gives autographs on his books before charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A man cheers as he participates in a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A woman runs with her dog during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A man is cheered on during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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Women on wheelchairs participate in a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair during a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities as they pass Wave pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People warm up before a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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A man participates a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder, right, meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena, center, pose for photo with US actor and UN ambassador Michael Douglas, right, and his son Dylan, left, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and EVGENIY MALOLETKA

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder on Saturday led a charity run in Kyiv to raise awareness of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia as the conflict approaches a third winter.

The race came following a recent escalation in Russian missile and drone attacks, largely aimed at Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure.

People clapped and cheered after Snyder, a 55-year-old Yale University professor who has written extensively on eastern Europe and the global resurgence of authoritarian regimes and is much admired in Ukarine, addressed the nearly thousand runners. He then joined a workout and participated in the run.

“Thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are illegally held in captivity during an illegal war,” Snyder told The Associated Press just ahead of the run. “This race is about reminding everyone of that and expressing solidarity with Ukrainians and giving Ukrainians a chance to do something together,” he said.

The 5 and 10-kilometer runs took place around a sprawling park in the Ukrainian capital created out of a renovated Soviet-era exhibition center.

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The runners included members of the public, servicepeople and veterans, as well as wives of the POWs. Among them was 27-year-old Anastasia Ofyl, whose husband Oleksandr was captured by the Russians. “We have to fight for him,” she said. “That’s why I’m running.”

Ukrainian soldiers often give harrowing accounts of their conditions in Russian captivity when they return home as part of regular prisoner exchanges.

In a report issued in July, a United Nations human rights agency said it “continued to document the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation.”

Snyder, who has organized fundraisers as part of the country’s war-relief effort, enjoys near-celebrity status in Ukraine. On Tuesday, he visited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for his charity work. The Ukrainian head of state also received former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the American actor Michael Douglas this week.

After Saturday’s race, Snyder was surrounded by admirers, many of whom waited in line for autographs and selfies. Some asked the historian to sign translated copies of his widely-read books on Ukraine, “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin” and “The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America.”

Saturday’s race was organized by the Kyiv School of Economics’ charity foundation which, according to its website, has been raising funds for charitable assistance for Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion. ___ Alex Babenko and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine