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US historian leads charity run in Kyiv to highlight the plight of Ukrainian POWs

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US historian leads charity run in Kyiv to highlight the plight of Ukrainian POWs
News

News

US historian leads charity run in Kyiv to highlight the plight of Ukrainian POWs

2024-09-14 19:57 Last Updated At:20:00

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder on Saturday led a charity run in Kyiv to raise awareness of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia as the conflict approaches a third winter.

The race came following a recent escalation in Russian missile and drone attacks, largely aimed at Ukraine's electricity infrastructure.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder, right, meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder, right, meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

A man participates a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man participates a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People warm up before a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People warm up before a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair during a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities as they pass Wave pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair during a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities as they pass Wave pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Women on wheelchairs participate in a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Women on wheelchairs participate in a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man is cheered on during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man is cheered on during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman runs with her dog during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman runs with her dog during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man cheers as he participates in a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man cheers as he participates in a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder gives autographs on his books before charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder gives autographs on his books before charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena, center, pose for photo with US actor and UN ambassador Michael Douglas, right, and his son Dylan, left, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena, center, pose for photo with US actor and UN ambassador Michael Douglas, right, and his son Dylan, left, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

People clapped and cheered after Snyder, a 55-year-old Yale University professor who has written extensively on eastern Europe and the global resurgence of authoritarian regimes and is much admired in Ukarine, addressed the nearly thousand runners. He then joined a workout and participated in the run.

“Thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are illegally held in captivity during an illegal war,” Snyder told The Associated Press just ahead of the run. “This race is about reminding everyone of that and expressing solidarity with Ukrainians and giving Ukrainians a chance to do something together,” he said.

The 5 and 10-kilometer runs took place around a sprawling park in the Ukrainian capital created out of a renovated Soviet-era exhibition center.

The runners included members of the public, servicepeople and veterans, as well as wives of the POWs. Among them was 27-year-old Anastasia Ofyl, whose husband Oleksandr was captured by the Russians. “We have to fight for him,” she said. “That’s why I’m running.”

Ukrainian soldiers often give harrowing accounts of their conditions in Russian captivity when they return home as part of regular prisoner exchanges.

In a report issued in July, a United Nations human rights agency said it “continued to document the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation.”

Snyder, who has organized fundraisers as part of the country’s war-relief effort, enjoys near-celebrity status in Ukraine. On Tuesday, he visited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for his charity work. The Ukrainian head of state also received former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the American actor Michael Douglas this week.

After Saturday’s race, Snyder was surrounded by admirers, many of whom waited in line for autographs and selfies. Some asked the historian to sign translated copies of his widely-read books on Ukraine, “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin” and “The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America.”

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder, right, meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder, right, meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

A man participates a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man participates a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People warm up before a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People warm up before a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair during a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities as they pass Wave pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair during a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities as they pass Wave pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Women on wheelchairs participate in a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Women on wheelchairs participate in a charity run to raise awareness for people with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man is cheered on during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man is cheered on during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman runs with her dog during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman runs with her dog during a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man cheers as he participates in a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A man cheers as he participates in a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People participate a charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder gives autographs on his books before charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. historian and author Timothy Snyder gives autographs on his books before charity run to raise awareness on Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, shakes hands with Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena, center, pose for photo with US actor and UN ambassador Michael Douglas, right, and his son Dylan, left, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena, center, pose for photo with US actor and UN ambassador Michael Douglas, right, and his son Dylan, left, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky turned down a final prosecution plea offer of 180 days in jail, risking the possibility of a guilty verdict and years in prison as jury selection began at his trial on Tuesday.

The agreement offered to the 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor was to plead guilty to one of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Los Angeles County prosecutors would also recommend a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and the six-month jail term.

But Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, told a judge he respectfully declined.

He is accused of firing at a former friend near a Hollywood hotel in 2021, and could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina also revealed for the first time in court Tuesday that the defense plans to call witnesses to testify that a firearm seen on a security video is a starter pistol that Rocky carried as a prop for security.

A panel of more than 100 prospective jurors were summoned to the downtown Los Angeles courtroom and packed into the gallery. Opening statements will come once 12 of them and alternates are seated. That won't be until at least Wednesday, when selection is set to resume. Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom starting with openings.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star's longtime partner is Rihanna, and the couple have two toddler sons together. Tacopina suggested that it's unlikely the pop star will show up in court.

Rocky has been named one of the celebrity chairs of the Met Gala in May, and has a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film with Denzel Washington to be released soon after. But his life could be upended with a conviction.

Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold has said he hopes to seat a jury quickly, and is keeping strict limits on how long attorneys can question prospective jurors.

“Mr. Mayers is an entertainer," Arnold told the prospective jurors. "His stage name is A$AP rocky. His life partner is also an entertainer. Her name is Rihanna. Because Mr. Mayers is an entertainer, a celebrity, that cannot harm him, and it cannot benefit him."

Of the initial 12 jurors questioned, four said they knew who Rocky was, and 10 said they knew who Rihanna was.

In 2023, another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing that Rocky should stand trial on charges that he fired a gun at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend who testified that their relationship had soured and a feud came to a head on the night of Nov. 6, 2021. Ephron testified that bullets grazed his knuckles.

Initial questioning on Tuesday revealed that the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires have affected many of the potential jurors' lives, including one woman who is fostering many displaced animals, and at least one man who had to evacuate. The judge himself revealed he had to evacuate from his home for 11 days.

“Luckily the house didn’t burn down," Arnold said.

One man was excused early in the process because he said his anti-gun feelings were too strong for him to be fair.

Tacopina tried to explore the potential jurors' feelings about hip-hop artists and their music, and several said they had negative feelings, though not overwhelming ones. Some cited parenting as the reason.

“I used to love it but then I had a kid,” one panelist said.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, questioning for the prosecution, told those with negative feelings, “You will not be called upon to render a verdict on how you feel about rap music, do you understand that?" All said yes.

Tacopina, who like his client Rocky is from New York and has represented President Donald Trump, also asked whether anyone on the jury is rubbed the wrong way by New Yorkers, bringing laughs throughout the room.

“When I get up here with this ridiculous accent, which I try not to have but I do, is anyone going to have a problem?" he said. “I will point out that we gave you guys the Dodgers a few years ago.”

No one conceded any negative feelings.

“I love LA," the lawyer added.

FILE - A$AP Rocky, left, and Rihanna attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on Sept. 13, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - A$AP Rocky, left, and Rihanna attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on Sept. 13, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky appears in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom on Aug. 17, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky appears in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom on Aug. 17, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

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