Themes by tag: russian crimes

Since the start of the full-scale war, russian aviation has dropped over 51,000 guided bombs on Ukraine – 40,000 of them in 2024 alone, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

These bombs are primarily modernized Soviet munitions weighing 500 to 3,000 kg, equipped with a unified gliding and correction module (UMPK kit). This module includes folding wings that extend range and GPS navigation for accuracy.

In its new study, NAKO examined the remnants of UMPC kits. The researchers found that 71% of the microelectronics in UMPK kits are from Western-oriented manufacturers. Of the 22 manufacturers identified, 10 are in the U.S., six are in China, four are in Switzerland, and two are in Ireland and Japan.

On March 11 in Kyiv, during the presentation of the thematic report, we will discuss how Western components end up in russian weapons. Can this supply chain be disrupted? What are our options for countering guided bombs?

 Participants:
– Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Advisor on Sanctions Policy
– Heorhii Tykhyi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
– Viktoriia Vyshnivska, Senior Researcher, Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO)
– Illia Kukharenko, Advisor on EW/ELINT, Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine

Accreditation required. Deadline: March 10, 5:00 PM

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, NAKO researchers have analyzed over 2,500 components from 30 russian weapons, including fighter jets, Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopters, Kalibr missiles, Iranian drones, and North Korean KN-23/24 missiles.

Background information: The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) is a civil society organization focused on reducing corruption risks in Ukraine’s defense sector through research, advocacy, and public awareness. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, NAKO has launched a project to monitor and strengthen sanctions against russia’s defense industry.

• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv

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

Ideological pressure, torture, and politically motivated prosecutions—these are the realities Ukrainians face in russian detention facilities today. Yet these repressive tactics are far from new. They trace back more than a century to the Soviet Union and are now being revived by modern-day russia.

In its latest analytical report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights compares archival cases from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) with testimonies from today’s detainees. The document highlights the direct link between Soviet-era repression and current practices, demonstrating that russia’s actions are not isolated incidents but rather part of a deliberate, systemic policy by the aggressor state.

The presentation will explore which groups of Ukrainians have been targeted by russia for more than a century; the ideological indoctrination methods used both in the Soviet era and today; how the machinery of torture and coercion operates; and why these combined practices amount to crimes against humanity.

Advance registration is required to attend the event.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On the night of March 3, a russian drone strike hit the Feldman Ecopark in the Kharkiv oblast, causing animal casualties and damage to park facilities. According to park staff, there were three direct hits, two of which hit the central area of the park.

Five domestic animals in the petting zoo area were injured. Two goats, previously evacuated from a combat zone, were killed — one of them pregnant.

Windows were shattered in several park buildings and enclosures were damaged.

Journalists can receive comments from Ecopark representatives both online and offline upon request.

Background information: Before the russian invasion, Feldman Ecopark was home to about 5,000 animals. When the war broke out, the park came under heavy bombardment, resulting in the deaths of over 300 animals, while some escaped into the wild. Many animals had to be evacuated in order to survive. The park’s infrastructure was severely damaged, and six people involved in evacuating the animals lost their lives.

• animals
• russian crimes
• Kharkiv

On March 1, the Stations of the Cross, a religious processional will take place in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, along Yablunska Street, to honor the memory of the victims tortured during the russian occupation. The procession will feature 14 stations, each marking a site where civilians were tragically killed. Among the stops, participants will pause to pray for and remember those who suffered at 144 Yablunska St., including the first boys to fall victim to the russians: Andrii Verbovyi, Andrii Matviichuk, Andrii Dvornikov, Vitalii Karpenko, Sviatoslav Turovskyi, Anatolii Prykhidko, Valerii Kotenko, and Denys Rudenko.

The procession will conclude at the chapel of St. Luke Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

For context: The Stations of the Cross is a prayer tradition centered on meditations about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. Originating in Jerusalem, it is observed within the liturgical practices of both the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches.

• dead
• occupation
• russian crimes
• 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

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 21, the Kyiv War Museum and the DOCU/CLUB network of the NGO Docudays will hold a screening of the documentary Witnesses. To the North of Kyiv.

The film is based on materials from the Ukraine War Archive project, which was launched by Docudays in cooperation with Infoscope in the early weeks of russia’s full-scale invasion. The initiative aims to document wartime events and firsthand testimonies that could support future investigations into russian war crimes and help bring those responsible to justice.  

The documentary follows residents of Pushcha-Vodytsia, a northern suburb of Kyiv, as well as the nearby villages of Moshchun and Horenka. The protagonists recount how they endured the russian occupation, volunteered, supported the Ukrainian military, and resisted the invaders.  

Following the screening, a discussion will take place with the film’s director, Tetiana Symon, who also serves as the coordinator of the Ukraine War Archive project’s interviewing department. The conversation will be moderated by Olha Babchuk, a journalist and communications manager at DOCU/CLUB.  

Registration is required to attend the event.

Background: From the earliest days of the conflict, Ukrainian documentary filmmakers have been diligently recording eyewitness testimonies. These recordings not only capture the unvarnished truth of the war but also serve to convey its realities to a global audience. Ultimately, they may be employed as crucial evidence in international courts to hold perpetrators accountable.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv