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Peaceful rallies will be held in 24 cities to remind the world of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still held in enemy captivity.

On March 8, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Zaporizhia, Zhytomyr, Pavlohrad and Obukhiv.

On March 9, events are planned in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Lozova, Poltava, Berdychiv, and Kropyvnytskyi.

The rallies are organized by families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison, with former POWs often attending to share their experiences.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”

On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.

Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”

The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.

Speakers:

– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;

– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;

– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group. 

• prisoners
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference titled “Volodymyr Ananiev – Ukrainian Political Prisoner of Crimea: Illicit Actions of the Aggressor Country.”

On February 5, 2024, the russian Federal Security Service claimed to have foiled a “terrorist plot” against Sergey Aksyonov, the pro-russian head of Crimea’s government serving as “Chairman of the Council of Ministers.” However, the reality is that 75-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev, a well-known Ukrainian public figure from Crimea, along with two other Ukrainian nationals, was detained as part of a fabricated case.

Ananiev is currently facing transportation to russia under guard and is at risk of a lengthy prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with the russian “investigation.”

The press conference will address the details of Ananiev’s imprisonment, the conditions of his detention, and his deteriorating health.

Speakers:

– Anna Sviatnenko, Wife of kremlin Political Prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev;

– Andriy Shchekun, Representative of the Regional Council of Ukrainians of Crimea;

– Olha Skrypnyk, Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group. 

• prisoners
• Kyiv

On March 4, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the Amnesty International’s report: “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia”.

Participants:

– Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Olena Kozachenko, Research Project Assistant at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Lera Burlakova, Media and Communications Officer at Amnesty International Ukraine;

– Nataliia Yepifanova, Head of the NGO Warriors Liberation;

– Maksym Kolesnikov, Veteran and Former Prisoner of War. 

Amnesty International’s report, “Deafening Silence – Enforced Disappearances, Incommunicado Detention, and Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by russia,” draws on interviews with 104 individuals, including former prisoners of war, to document crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in russian captivity.

According to Amnesty International’s latest report, Ukrainian prisoners are deliberately kept in isolation, enabling ongoing torture and systematic human rights violations. Many detainees are officially classified as missing in action due to the complete absence of information regarding their whereabouts. russia’s consistent failure to confirm the detention of certain Ukrainian prisoners – despite credible evidence of their captivity – constitutes enforced disappearance under international law. Furthermore, the report indicates that russia has likely withheld information from the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the status of hundreds, possibly thousands, of prisoners of war. russia’s treatment of both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians in detention flagrantly violates the full spectrum of international legal standards.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On February 26, 2022, Vasyl Vyrozub, rector of the Holy Trinity Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Odesa, was taken prisoner by russian forces. He was part of a mission to Zmiinyi (Snake) Island to recover the bodies of border guards who were initially presumed dead.

The Ukrainian vessel transporting Vasyl was seized by the russian cruiser Moskva, and he, along with two other military chaplains and a doctor, was captured. Vasyl spent 70 days in russian captivity, enduring torture. His captors subjected him and his fellow prisoners to relentless interrogations, struggling to comprehend why they had come to retrieve the fallen soldiers. The detainees were forced to sing the aggressor country’s anthem, kneel, and endure solitary confinement.

After his release, Vasyl was honored with the Memory of the Nation Award by Post Bellum, a Czech nonprofit dedicated to preserving the testimonies of war veterans and political prisoners.

Vasyl Vyrozub is available for interviews in Odesa, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

Background: Fighting for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, when russian forces seized the territory. Initially, reports stated that all 13 Ukrainian border guards defending the island had been killed. Later, Ukraine’s Border Guard Service indicated that the defenders might have been taken prisoner. On July 4, 2022, Snake Island returned to Ukrainian control.

• casualties
• prisoners
• religion
• russian crimes
• Odesa

On the 3rd anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “People Fist!” campaign, supported by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the russian federation Mariana Katzarova, two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and over forty leading Ukrainian, russian and international human rights organizations demand the immediate release of the captives of russia’s war against Ukraine. On February 24, an online press conference will be held.

Their call is simple: put people first. As preparations for negotiations to end the war are underway, the key priority of any negotiated agreements must be the release and exchange of the captives.

Among them are:
– at least 20,000 Ukrainian children deported to russia
– thousands of Ukrainian civilians held in russian prisons
– thousands of Ukrainian and russian prisoners of war
– hundreds of russian political prisoners imprisoned for anti-war speech or actions

Speakers:
– Mariana Katzarova, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the russian federation
– Oleksandra Matviichuk, leader of the Center for Civil Liberties, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
– Oleg Orlov, Co-Chair of Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, former political prisoner and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
– Yevgen Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
– Dirk Schuebel, Head of division, Relations with the russian federation, European External Action Service, European Commission (TBC)

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• prisoners

In August 2024, russia illegally sentenced Ukrainian activist Iryna Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison, accusing her of “espionage”.

Iryna Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson, worked for a Ukrainian IT company. In the spring of 2022, when russian forces occupied the city, she became known for her social media posts documenting life under occupation. Iryna shared photos with Ukrainian symbols and even referred to her apartment as the “resistance headquarters.”

On May 13, 2022, russians abducted her from her own home and held her in a detention center in occupied Crimea. She was held in total isolation, with no contact with the outside world.

Journalists can talk to Irina’s parents (online), as well as her lawyer and experts from the Center for Civil Liberties in Kyiv.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

Peaceful events are planned in 22 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.

On February 22, rallies will take place in Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Arbuzynka, Vinnytsia, Svitlovodsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Obukhiv, Poltava, Zaporizhia and Pavlohrad.

On February 23, events are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdenoukrainsk, Uman, Krolevets, Korop, Ovruch, Irpin, Cherkasy, Korosten, Uzhhorod, and Mykolaiv.

The events are organized by the families of POWs from the Mariupol garrison. The rallies are often attended by Ukrainians who have been released from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On February 23, the eve of the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the ceremony “The Bell of Remembrance and Hope: 11 Years of War” will be held. This event is to remind everyone of Ukrainians who are in captivity, missing or victims of forced deportation.

The ceremony will begin with a liturgy at the Refectory Church, led by Bishop Avraamii, Abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The Bell of Remembrance and Hope will strike 11 times, marking 11 years of war in Ukraine. Families of prisoners of war will also take part in the ceremony.

Program of the event:
– Liturgy in the Refectory
– Ceremony “Bell of Remembrance and Hope: 11 Years of War”.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

The Bell of Remembrance and Hope will ring daily until victory is achieved and all defenders return home. This initiative was launched in December 2023 at the Lavra with the support of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

• culture
• prisoners
• religion
• Kyiv

Serhii Hrytsiv, a native of Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, endured two and a half years in captivity, marked by relentless torture, starvation, and interrogation. A member of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi, he witnessed the start of russia’s full-scale invasion from the front lines.  

Hrytsiv recalls that the fighting in the Mariupol sector, where he was stationed, began on February 17, 2022. Nearly two months later, on April 12, his commander presented a grim choice: either attempt a breakthrough or face capture. Each soldier had to decide for themselves. Hrytsiv and a group of comrades made a desperate bid to escape the russian encirclement but were ultimately unsuccessful. They were soon taken prisoner.  

Over the course of his captivity, Hrytsiv was transferred 18 times, enduring detention in 12 different locations. According to him, not a single day passed without torture—Ukrainian prisoners were subjected to brutal beatings, electric shocks, and starvation.  

On September 13, 2024, Hrytsiv was freed in a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukrainian territory. Following rehabilitation, he met his future wife, and the two soon married.  

Serhii Hrytsiv is available for conversations both online and in person by appointment.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Ivano-Frankivsk