Prix Voltaire Special Award to murdered Volodymyr Vakulenko

The Prix Voltaire Prize is presented by the International Publishers Association for authors’ demonstrated excellence in their fight for the freedom of speech.

On May 22, in Norway, the International Publishers Association posthumously presented Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko with the Prix Voltaire Special Award. Accepting the award on behalf of Volodymyr was Victoria Amelina. During the awarding ceremony, she said:

"I am a Ukrainian writer speaking on behalf of my colleague Volodymyr Vakulenko who, unlike me, didn’t survive another attempt of the Russian Empire to erase Ukrainian identity. The Ukrainian literary community is grateful for the award. This award is unique, meaningful, and moving to us, partly because no one out of hundreds of other Ukrainian writers who, like Vakulenko, were murdered throughout Ukrainian history ever received such an international award posthumously. I am sure that Volodymyr Vakulenko would like to dedicate this award to them too."

During the ceremony, Victoria also read out an extract from Vakulenko’s diary, translated by Daisy Gibbons.

The Prix Voltaire Special Award is posthumously presented by the International Publishers Association to emphasize an author’s outstanding fight for the freedom of expression and highlight the way they were compelled to silence.

In her Facebook post, Victoria specified that the award would be in Volodymyr Vakulenko’s home village of Kapytolivka in the Kharkiv region, where his family still lives, by the end of May. We will remind that Volodymyr Vakulenko was abducted by Russians at the end of March 2022, during the temporary occupation of the Kharkiv region. At the end of November, Volodymyr’s death was confirmed by the DNA expertise. He was killed by two gunshots. The exact date and circumstances of his murder remain unknown.