A portrait from the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C.
At 94 years old, Vytautas Packauskas continues to stand for freedom—as he has for nearly a century.
I met him during the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of advocates gathered to urge continued U.S. support for Ukraine. While many participants were attending for the first time, Packauskas had already spent years traveling across the United States, speaking on behalf of Ukraine and reminding audiences why freedom must never be taken for granted.
His commitment began long before Ukraine’s current war. As a child in Lithuania during World War II, he helped the anti-Nazi resistance and brought food to people trapped in the Vilnius Ghetto. According to his daughter, Nadija Packauskas, he also secretly stole weapons from German forces and passed them to Lithuanian partisans. After his family fled the second Soviet invasion, they were captured by the Gestapo at the Polish-German border, and he was imprisoned in a labor camp. Following the war, he immigrated to the United States, served in the U.S. Air Force, and devoted his life to protecting human rights.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Packauskas has become one of the most recognizable grassroots advocates for Ukraine in the United States. He has spoken at universities, community events, veterans’ organizations, and public rallies across the country, continuing his work well into his nineties.
During the summit, U.S. Senator Gary Peters recognized Packauskas for his lifelong commitment to human rights and his advocacy for the Ukrainian people, noting that his dedication had “not gone unnoticed.”
Photographing Vytautas Packauskas was a reminder that advocacy is often measured not by a single speech or event, but by decades of unwavering commitment. His story bridges generations and countries, demonstrating that the defense of freedom does not end with age—or with one conflict.
