Vladimir Putin hates her: Meet Daria Kaleniuk of Ukraine

In this week’s episode of Art of Power, host Aarti Shahani sits
down with the woman who helped build Ukraine’s fledgling democracy.
Daria Kaleniuk is the executive director of Ukraine’s
Anti-Corruption Action Center. She has spent a decade building
sweeping anti-corruption infrastructure, much to Russia’s chagrin.
As Vladimir Putin invades her home, you may have seen her calling
out U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a recent press conference
that went viral. In our conversation, Kaleniuk questions the value
of her life’s work: “We are being executed by Russia for fighting
corruption and building rule of law,” she tells Shahani. “Those
allies which helped us…are betraying us. They are not providing
means to protect our democracy.” To understand the war in Ukraine,
you need to understand her story: where she grew up, the uprising
that shaped her, and the threat that she poses to Vladimir Putin.
We discuss her early childhood in the post–Soviet state (1:43), her
protest work during the Maidan Revolution (7:00), Putin’s recent
speech that cited the organizations she helped create as a pretext
for his invasion (27:37), and her call to action for Western
governments (32:02). Editor’s note: This interview was recorded on
Monday, March 7, 2022. It provides vital context for understanding
Russia's attack on Ukraine, but does not reflect the latest
developments on the ground.