On September 13, Kyiv hosted the annual advocacy run Run for Freedom, which for the second year in a row brought together Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine around a common goal — to draw the world’s attention to the thousands of soldiers and civilians still held in Russian captivity. Nearly 1,000 participants took to the starting line in Natalka Park.
The run was initiated by students of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) together with historian, professor, and UNITED24 ambassador Timothy Snyder, who personally joined the event. This year again, he ran the longest distance — 10 km — in solidarity with the call for the release of Ukrainian captives.
The event was organized by KSE Foundation, DefDev, the national network of rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers RECOVERY, and the project supporting Mariupol defenders Heart of Azovstal, in partnership with NewRun.
Media partners: ShoTam, 1+1 Ukraine, and Interfax-Ukraine.
Water partner: Karpatska Dzherelna.
“There is no freedom without solidarity. Thank you for being here, for your solidarity with others, and for what you are doing today, tomorrow, and beyond. Have a good run!” — Professor Timothy Snyder.
The run brought together KSE students and alumni, military personnel, veterans, families of prisoners of war and missing persons, former captives, and hundreds of caring Ukrainians. Before the start, participants and guests honored the memory of those who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war with a moment of silence.
Anastasiia Tyshchenko, Deputy Director of KSE Foundation: “Run for Freedom is our way to tell the world that the release of prisoners is not only a Ukrainian issue — it’s a matter of human rights and international justice. Thanks to the involvement of Professor Timothy Snyder, our message can reach even further. The funds contributed by participants will be directed by KSE Foundation to support Ukraine’s Defense Forces. This year, we will fulfill two military unit requests totaling about 700,000 UAH.”
Petro Yatsenko, representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War: “One of the most brutal forms of torture used by the Russians is forcing prisoners to stand still all day — sometimes for 12 to 18 hours. That’s why running means freedom. Running is support. And we run so that all prisoners return home as soon as possible.”
Valeriia Tkachenko, daughter of a prisoner of war and ambassador of the NGO Heart of Azovstal: “A long separation is a deep wound in the heart of each of us. It’s unbearable to live knowing that your father has been in extreme danger for such a long time. Captivity kills — it’s not an option for survival. That’s why I’m here again today.”
Participants completed distances of 5 km, 10 km, and a symbolic 1 km, including both professional athletes and first-time runners.
Winners of Run for Freedom 2025
10 km distance
Men:
🥇 Oleksandr Sydorenko — 36:24
🥈 Vitalii Chuian — 36:44
🥉 Yurii Tsyntylevych — 37:58
Women:
🥇 Nataliia Melnychuk — 39:59
🥈 Viktoriia Bulik — 41:56
🥉 Tetiana Ovchar — 43:20
5 km distance
Men:
🥇 Oleksandr Kalinin — 17:22
🥈 Borys Danyevych — 18:48
🥉 Pavlo Nimtsovych — 18:51
Women:
🥇 Alona Tymoshenko — 18:42
🥈 Nataliia Voloshyna — 20:55
🥉 Tetiana Krachylo — 21:05
Congratulations to every finisher, and thank you to everyone who joined the run for Freedom!
Background
Run for Freedom is an annual advocacy run launched by KSE students and Professor Timothy Snyder. In 2024, the event gathered over 1,000 participants across Ukraine.
KSE Foundation is the charitable foundation of the Kyiv School of Economics. It ranks among the top five largest charitable foundations in Ukraine (according to Forbes Ukraine) and has been awarded the presidential honor “Golden Heart.” Since 2025, KSE Foundation has been included in the global registry of trusted charitable organizations by CAF America following a comprehensive due diligence review. The Foundation is also a full member of Philea, Europe’s largest philanthropic association.
RECOVERY is the national network of rehabilitation centers for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, founded by Viktor and Olena Pinchuk to support Ukraine’s security and defense forces. As of today, 18 RECOVERY centers operate across Ukraine — in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk region (three centers), Kyiv (two centers) and Kyiv region, Lutsk, Lviv, Odesa (two centers), Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv. The network has already provided free rehabilitation services to 30,000 patients.