The Center said Zelenskyy was selected for “his heroic defense of liberty in the face of Russian tyranny.”In a prerecorded video message, Zelenskyy said the award “demonstrates how and what Ukrainian people are fighting for.”“Liberty is the main word for us and what really unites all Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said.“Young women signed up in record numbers, driving ambulances while coming under fire, working as front-line medics.”“This leader, and the citizens of Ukraine, knew something that the rest of the world did not: That the Russians could be beaten, not with overwhelming firepower or waves of troops, but with character, heart, and faith,” Ferguson said.“They took what the world gave them, rummaged through what they already had, and pushed back the remnants of a once powerful army, showing the world that no empire can defeat millions of individual acts of people going about their daily lives and refusing to surrender.”NCC President Jeffrey Rosen said Ukraine is working to defend a “liberal constitution, founded on separation of powers.” He was in Ukraine in 2014, when the new constitution was being written, which he said was drafted to “ensure a government of laws, not of one man.”“But a liberal constitution and an independent judiciary alone can’t preserve liberty against the threats posed by illiberal tyrants like Caesar, Alexander, and Putin,” Rosen said.“By providing a heroic example of what courage looks like when it is deployed in the defense of liberty, President Zelenskyy has inspired the world to support the Ukrainian people in their noble crusade.It is awarded to those who, “strive to secure the blessings of liberty for people around the globe.” Previous recipients include Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy, Sen. John McCain, Rep. John Lewis, and Malala Yousafzai."