Who is Daria Kaleniuk? Journo's EPIC takedown of Boris Johnson at press conference highlights Ukrainian passion
A woman who went viral after breaking down in tears while demanding UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tighten sanctions against Russia is reportedly a high-profile Ukrainian campaigner who was instrumental in establishing the embattled country's anti-corruption court.
Daria Kaleniuk urged Johnson to impose tougher sanctions on Russia following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference in Poland, where Johnson is scheduled to hold talks with Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki, Kaleniuk said Ukrainian children were "taking the hit" because NATO had refused to get involved in the conflict. She also urged the British PM to get tough on Russian oligarchs such as Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and their families, who she said were safe "in mansions" while Ukrainian kids hid in bomb shelters.
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Kaleniuk, who recently fled her home in Kyiv, said many of her family and friends remain behind. "Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children are in deep fear because of bombs and missiles which are going from the sky," she told the UK PM, breaking into tears as she talked. "Ukrainian people are desperately asking for the rights to protect our sky, we are asking for a no-fly zone. What's the alternative for the no-fly zone? Nato is not willing to defend because Nato is afraid of World War Three but it's already started and it's Ukrainian children who are there taking the hit."
She continued, "You are talking about more sanctions Prime Minister but Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned, he's in London, his children are not in the bombardments, his children are there in London. Putin's children are in the Netherlands, in Germany, in mansions, where all these mentioned seized? I don't see that. I see that my family members, that my team members, I'd say that we crying. We don't know where to run. This is what is happening Prime Minister."
“NATO is afraid of world war three, but it has already started and Ukrainian children are there taking the hit.”
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 1, 2022
Ukrainian journalist Daria Kaleniuk breaks down in tears as she asks Boris Johnson “to protect our sky” and implement a no-fly zone. pic.twitter.com/nyoLaNsVmJ
Johnson, who listened in awkward silence, replied that he was doing what he could but couldn't "pretend" that the West would take military action in this case. "Unfortunately the implication of that would be that the UK would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes, engaged in direct combat with Russia, that's not something we can do," he said.
Abramovich has strongly denied having ties to Kremlin or having done anything that would warrant sanctions against him. Meanwhile, a Downing Street source told the Daily Mail that Johnson "sympathized" with Kaleniuk's "very important" intervention, albeit they are not thought to have spoken after the exchange.
Who is Daria Kaleniuk?
Kaleniuk is the co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), which has shaped Ukraine's anti-corruption legislation. Her group -- financed by donations and support from the US and the European Union -- helped establish the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), as well as the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine, founded in 2019.
The mother-of-two studied law in Kharkiv before studying and working in Chicago for a year, according to her LinkedIn. She subsequently founded AntAC with Vitaliy Shabunin, who currently heads the council of public control at NABU. In her capacity as co-founder of the group, Kaleniuk has held talks with several high profile politicians, including Andy Baukol, former US acting Secretary of the Treasury, last September, and George Kent, who was US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from 2018 to 2021. Meanwhile, Kaleniuk has also organized resources to track money laundering and corruption across the globe. Last year, she organized a 'Zero Corruption' conference in Kyiv.
Kaleniuk has demanded heavy sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, including a no-fly zone, removing Russia from the SWIFT banking system, as well as arresting Russian oligarchs whom she accused of being "enablers" of the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, she has also called for Russia to be banned from the world economy and financial markets, adding that the country should be immediately ousted from the UN Security Council.