Youth Climate Activist Believed Kidnapped in Ukraine
InsideClimate News 2014-03-10
Summary:
By Katherine Bagley
A Ukrainian youth climate activist was reportedly apprehended by Russian military forces on Sunday, Mar. 9, while trying to enter Crimea, the autonomous Ukrainian republic that has been under siege by Russia since late last month.
Kateryna Butko, 25, is involved with AutoMaidan, a movement within the EuroMaidan that is seeking a pro-European Union government to replace ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was closely aligned with Russia.
Butko has been a vocal proponent of climate action in Eastern Europe and is a volunteer member of 350.org, a climate advocacy group started by activist Bill McKibben that has attracted young people around the world.
She attended several climate meetings and workshops in Europe and recently helped organize a youth forum on global warming in Ukraine. According to information provided by AutoMaidan, Butko was last seen on Sunday by witnesses who saw her get detained by "men in unmarked military uniforms" in the town of Armiansk on the border between Crimea and mainland Ukraine.