Themes by tag: prisoners

Anastasiia and Andrii Ordynskyi shared 12 years of marriage and were raising their daughter Miia together.

Andrii began his military service in 2012, signing a contract in Sevastopol a year later. After russia’s occupation of Crimea, he left the peninsula with his unit and later joined the 36th Marine Brigade in Mykolaiv. When the full-scale invasion began, Andrii was stationed near Mariupol. On April 12, 2022, during their last video call, Andrii told Anastasiia to search for him among the prisoners of war or the fallen – there was no way out of the encirclement.

On May 1 of that year, Anastasiia spotted her husband in a video of captured Ukrainian soldiers. For the next three years, she did everything possible to bring him home: connecting with other POW families, former captives, and organizations dedicated to prisoners’ welfare. She even underwent training to prepare for Andrii’s return. Her perseverance paid off – Andrii was finally freed in a prisoner exchange on May 23, 2025. He is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation after his ordeal in captivity.

You can speak with Anastasiia Ordynska online or meet her in Dnipropetrovsk oblast by prior arrangement.

• prisoners
• Dnipro

Peaceful rallies in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war and missing persons will take place across the country on June 28 and 29, as families and supporters call for greater attention to the plight of those still held in russian captivity.

Events are planned in 31 cities to honor the defenders of Azovstal and other Ukrainian service members who remain unaccounted for.

On June 28, gatherings will be held in Arbuzynka, Okhtyrka, Pavlohrad, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Pavlysh, Irpin, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Dnipro and Lviv.

On June 29, events are scheduled in Kyiv, Pivdennoukrainsk, Uman, Lozova, Mykolaiv, Krolevets, Ovruch, Korosten, Cherkasy, Obukhiv, Dolynska, Rivne, Berdychiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Ostroh, Shostka, Chernivtsi, Uzhhorod, Slavuta, and Odesa.

The actions are organized by families of prisoners of war from the Mariupol garrison. Ukrainians who have returned from russian captivity often join and speak at the events.

• prisoners

YOUkraine Hub is a support space for military personnel released from captivity, initiated by former prisoners of war themselves. It hosts meetings and peer-to-peer support sessions built on trust and mutual understanding. The goal is to create a safe environment and assist our Heroes in adapting to civilian life.

The hub provides free services, including medical, legal, social, and psychological support, as well as organizing off-site events.

YOUkraine Hub invites foreign media to collaborate in order to draw the international community’s attention to the severe physical and psychological consequences of captivity, and the need for systemic support for soldiers who have already been liberated. The hub also aims to raise global awareness of the ongoing situation and help free those still held captive.

Journalists can arrange to speak with hub representatives in Kyiv and, when possible, with defenders who have returned from captivity.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Born in Mariupol, 22-year-old Illia Iliashenko graduated from a nautical lyceum and enlisted in the 23rd Marine Guard Detachment of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service. From the earliest days of russia’s full-scale invasion, Illia and his comrades worked to repel enemy forces from the sea.

When his ship docked in Mariupol and the commander called for volunteers to reinforce ground positions, Illia stepped forward. He transitioned from a naval gunner to a machine gunner on land. Later, he was ordered to move to Azovstal in what became a special operation, his unit was already encircled. Illia recalls enduring “hell” on the way to the steel plant.

In May 2022, alongside other defenders of Azovstal, he was captured by russian forces after the Ukrainian military command ordered a surrender. Initially, he was held in the notorious Olenivka prison in the occupied Donetsk region and later transferred to Taganrog, russia. It was there that Illia “celebrated” his birthday, in captivity.

He spent 10 months as a prisoner of war. Illia only realized he was being exchanged when he heard Ukrainian spoken on the bus transporting him. The date was February 16, 2023.

After his release, he underwent rehabilitation and began writing a book about the defense of Mariupol. Due to health reasons, Illia was discharged from military service. He now works at the YOUkraine Hub, a support center for former POWs, where he helps fellow soldiers navigate their recovery.

Illia Iliashenko is based in Kyiv and available for interviews, online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Oleksii Polukhin, a 21-year-old openly LGBTQ+ activist from Kherson, joined the resistance movement in the first days of russia’s occupation, coordinating with Ukraine’s Security Service, Armed Forces, and intelligence units.

Until May 2022, Oleksii was gathering critical intelligence for Ukrainian special services. On May 9, during a reconnaissance mission, he stumbled upon a newly established russian checkpoint. He is certain that someone informed the occupiers about his activities, as they were already waiting for him at the checkpoint. They confiscated his phone and passport, forced him to strip, blindfolded him, and drove him around the city for hours before taking him to a detention center for interrogation.

When his captors discovered Oleksii was queer, they subjected him to psychological torture — forcing him to wear a dress, denying him showers, outdoor time, medical care, or legal assistance. Though they avoided physical violence, the relentless psychological abuse lasted two months before his release. Even after, Oleksii remained in Kherson and only left his hometown after it was de-occupied. Now, he undergoes therapy and continues to volunteer for the Ukrainian army.

Journalists can communicate with Oleksii Polukhin online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv
• LGBT

The international forum Unbroken Justice will run for two days in Lviv, bringing together leading voices in law, human rights, and trauma recovery.

The program will begin on June 23 with a public discussion titled Justice and Time, featuring British legal scholar and author Philippe Sands alongside French psychoanalyst Beatrice Patsalides Hofmann. 

The following day, June 24, will mark the official opening of the St. Leo the Great Mental Health Center, the first facility in Ukraine specifically designed to support individuals who have endured captivity, torture, and psychological trauma. The center will also host a series of panel discussions exploring critical topics, including:

– Psychological support for victims of torture;

– Accountability for crimes against humanity;

– The prospect of establishing a tribunal for vladimir putin;

– Community resilience in the face of war. 

Among the featured speakers are neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Bjorn Berge, and Michele Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at Georgetown University Law Center.

Ukrainian human rights defender and Armed Forces officer Maksym Butkevych, who spent two years and four months in russian captivity, will also take part in the discussions.

Advance registration is required to attend the event. 

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Ukrainian activist Iryna Horobtsova is being transferred to women’s penal colony No.2 in the Yavas settlement of russia’s Republic of Mordovia. Yavas is located approximately 1,700 kilometers from Kherson, Horobtsova’s hometown. Her father, Volodymyr, says that the transfer is likely underway, with Iryna’s last letter dated June 10 originating from Ryazan.

According to her father, Iryna’s sentence has already taken effect, so the only remaining legal recourse is a petition for clemency.  

Iryna Horobtsova’s parents are available for interviews in Kherson or online, pending prior coordination.

Background: In August 2024, russia illegally sentenced Ukrainian citizen Iryna Horobtsova to 10 years and six months in prison. She was accused of “espionage”.

Horobtsova, a Kherson resident, worked for a Ukrainian IT company. After russian forces occupied Kherson in spring 2022, Horobtsova gained attention for social media posts documenting life under occupation, including photos with Ukrainian symbols. She dubbed her apartment a “home resistance headquarters”. On May 13, 2022, russians abducted her from her home and held her in a detention center in occupied Crimea, denying all external contact.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

On June 7, Kyiv will host a rally and public action titled “Ours Are Not Home Yet” in support of Ukrainian soldiers who are missing or held in captivity.

The event is organized by the community of families of missing and captured servicemen from the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ground Forces of the AFU. 

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

On May 28, the Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of the Inferno project: Exposing the brutal conditions faced by Ukrainian prisoners of war

Participants:

– Yurii Kovbasa, Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Security and Defense Sector;

– Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War;

– Yevheniia Synelnyk, Representative of the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families;

– Nestor Barchuk, Representative of the International Cooperation Department, 1st Corps of the Azov National Guard;

– Tetyana Katrychenko, Executive Director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

For reference: Inferno is a collaborative initiative led by the Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families and the International Cooperation Department of the 1st Corps of the Azov National Guard of Ukraine. The project compiles firsthand accounts from former detainees held in notorious facilities such as Olenivka and Taganrog, as well as multiple russian detention centers. Through survivor testimonies, Inferno seeks to ensure that these war crimes are not erased from public memory and that the international community remains vigilant in demanding accountability.

• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Over 60 international human rights NGOs, led by two Nobel Peace Prize laureates — the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine) and Memorial (russia) — have joined forces around an advocacy campaign demanding the release of all captives and the return of all children illegally deported due to russia’s war against Ukraine.

On May 20, journalists are invited to a presentation of the campaign, followed by a discussion with prominent Ukrainian human rights activists and Ukrainian government officials who advocate for prisoner release.

Among the participants are:

• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties
• Olena Rozvadovska, Head of the Board of the Voices of Children
• Dmytro Koval, Со-Executive Director of the Truth Hounds

Registration is required for the event.

The closed event will also be attended by representatives of diplomatic missions in Ukraine, members of Ukrainian civil society working on the return of civilian and military prisoners, as well as international lawyers, media representatives and human rights activists.

• prisoners