Timothy Garton Ash, a renowned history professor at Oxford University, has donated his prize money from the prestigious Lionel Gelber Prize 2024 to the
Ukrainian army. Garton Ash's book, Homeland, which won the award, explores European history in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Garton Ash, the Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at St. Anthony’s and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, received approximately £29,000 in prize money. He chose to donate the entire amount to support the Ukrainian army, specifically for purchasing drones and night vision equipment.
During a visit to Kyiv and Lviv for the presentation of the Ukrainian version of his book, Garton Ash stated: “I can think of no better use for a prize received for a book about recent European history than to donate it towards equipping the Ukrainian Armed Forces for victory. Because nothing less than the future of Europe is at stake in this war.”
The charity Come Back Alive, which received Garton Ash's donation, used the funds to buy four DJI Mavic 3T quadcopters, ten thermal imaging monoculars, ten night vision monoculars and mounts for PNB, as well as four Minox monoculars.
Garton Ash told Cherwell that he selected this equipment based on recommendations from Come Back Alive, which specializes in aiding the Ukrainian armed forces. He emphasized the unique nature of this conflict, noting the significant role of reconnaissance drones in providing almost total visibility of the front lines for both sides.
Addressing the reduced international and local focus on the Ukraine War, Garton Ash urged students to remain concerned about the conflict, despite the attention on Gaza. He highlighted the war's longevity and high casualty rate, describing it as one of the most significant wars in Europe since 1945. “I hope people will want to pay attention to it too,” he said.
In addition to Homeland, Garton Ash has authored ten books primarily focused on Europe and its history. Throughout his career, he has contributed to prominent publications such as The New York Review of Books, The Independent, The Times, and The Spectator. He has also served as a columnist on foreign affairs for The Independent and as the Foreign Editor of The Spectator. Among his accolades are the Somerset Maugham Award, the Prix Européen de l’Essai, and the George Orwell Prize. Photo by Carl-Johan Sveningsson from Tallinn, Estonia, Wikimedia commons.