A British man has been awarded one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honours - whilst being personally sanctioned by The Kremlin.
Publisher Peter Dickinson, 46, has written constantly criticising and exposing aspects of Russia ’s failing invasion for nine months.
In his role as Ukraine editor for the Atlantic Council think tank he has also been targeted with revenge sanctions issued by Moscow.
The father-of-two returned within months to his home outside Kyiv where he lived with his Ukrainian wife for the past 25 years after leaving during the initial invasion.
Now President Zelensky’s right-hand advisor Andrey Yermak has awarded him the Presidential Order of Merit for raising awareness of Russia’s atrocity-riddled war.
Peter told the Daily Mirror exclusively from Kyiv: “My friends and I have been joking about what the highest honour is - to be sanctioned personally by Moscow or to be given the award by the Ukrainian government.
“Getting sanctioned was one thing I was quite pleased with as it means I have hit a nerve- but this award is the icing on the cake, a real honour.
“Obviously I am very proud of both as it is as a result of supporting the country that has for the past 25 years been my home.
“People here are suffering, it has been truly devastating but they are strong and despite what is happening they will not give in.
“My home is south of Kyiv, a similar distance from the capital to that of places like Bucha, which were very badly treated when Russian troops occupied them.
“What happened there has been devastating - it was truly awful.
“But we are hearing increasingly that people in Russia are becoming worried about the war and that started I think with the fall of Kherson.
“This was a huge blow to the Kremlin.
“They had said at the beginning of the war that Kherson will be forever Russian and look how wrong they were about that.
“It is not looking good for Russia and even these bombing campaigns are not working.
“They are making people suffer but the Ukrainians do not give in.”
