Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Ukraine is paying the highest price to return home to European values [1].
Matviichuk's address highlights the ideological shift Ukraine is undertaking as it seeks to detach itself from a legacy of imperial control. The speech underscores the human and political costs associated with the country's pursuit of democratic alignment with the European Union.
During her remarks, Matviichuk spoke to the historical struggle for Ukrainian identity and autonomy. She noted that for 300 years [1], the nation existed in the shadow of the Russian Empire. This period of domination, she said, is what the country is now actively overcoming through its current sacrifices.
"For three centuries, we were in shadow of Russian Empire. And I’m here to say, Europe, we are back," Matviichuk said [1].
The defender emphasized that the current conflict is not merely a territorial dispute but a fundamental movement toward a specific set of values. She framed the struggle as a necessary process to reclaim a European identity that was suppressed by external imperial forces.
"Ukraine is paying the highest price to return home to European values," Matviichuk said [1].
Her presence in Strasbourg serves to remind European lawmakers of the direct link between Ukraine's internal human rights struggles and its broader geopolitical goals. By framing the return to Europe as a homecoming, Matviichuk positioned the nation's current hardships as a bridge toward long-term stability, and democratic integration.
“Ukraine is paying the highest price to return home to European values”
Matviichuk's rhetoric shifts the narrative of the conflict from a defensive war to a proactive cultural and political reclamation. By citing a three-century history of imperial influence, she frames Ukraine's integration into European structures not as a new alliance, but as the restoration of a historical identity.
