Why Democracy Matters in Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) weighs in on the Russian attack on Ukraine and how it relates to Ukrainian and global democratic aspirations. NDI has worked in Kyiv since 1992, witnessing "how Russia has used Ukraine as a testing ground for its attacks on democracy elsewhere", concluding that Ukraine is therefore a "pivot point in the global struggle for democracy". The Ukrainian experience with countering Russian hybrid warfare, and especially its disinformation campaign, holds useful lessons for the wider world. Mitchell contends that Ukraine demonstrates that Biden was correct in identifying the struggle between democracy and autocracy as the defining challenge of our time.

NDI remains committed in its support and solidarity to Ukraine. Read the full statement here.