In its citation, the Warsaw-based Jan Karski Society, said that the medal is in recognition of Motyl’s “consistent defining of the political system in Putin’s Russia in an analogy to Hitler’s fascism," as well as his "ruthless exposing the truth about about the criminal character of Russian totalitarianism and its dictator.”
A resident of New York, Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark.
He has written extensively on Ukraine, Russia, nationalism, revolutions and empires.
His books include Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires and Why Empires Remerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.
He is also active as a poet, writer of fiction, and visual artist.
Last year, soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Motyl wrote that President Volodymyr Zelensky "will go down in history as a new type of Ukrainian patriot who fought for his homeland’s freedom."
Motyl also said at the time that "in the end" Zelensky "may deserve to be considered Ukraine’s George Washington."
A presentation ceremony for the medal, marking the 75th anniversary of Karski's WWII mission, is due to be held in New York later this year.
(mk/gs)