Themes by tag: russian crimes

This August 30, the Center for Civil Liberties, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, will host an evocative evening of poetry and solidarity in Kyiv to honor the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The event, titled “Hold on! I’m Holding On!”, aims to bring together human rights activists, artists, and families of those imprisoned by russian forces, creating a poignant space for reflection and resistance.

In this intimate gathering, participants will read aloud poems written from and about captivity, sharing the pain and resilience of those who have been forcibly disappeared. The event seeks to amplify these voices, highlighting the importance of speaking out against such injustices.

The evening’s participants include:

– Akhtem Seitablaev, soldier, actor, and director;

– Tetiana Vlasova, poet;

– Iya Kiva, poet;

– Olena Tsyhipa, wife of political prisoner Serhii Tsyhipa;

– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.

Attendance is by accreditation only.

For reference: “Hold on! I’m Holding On!” is a poetry initiative launched by the Center for Civil Liberties. The project showcases the writings of renowned Ukrainian poets alongside the poignant verses of individuals currently enduring captivity in russia. Its goal is to shed light on the suffering and unyielding spirit of Ukrainians who have been detained during the conflict.

According to the Center for Civil Liberties, at least 7,000 civilians are currently held in prisons across russia and its temporarily occupied territories. The exact number of prisoners of war remains unknown. Both civilians and soldiers suffer egregious violations of international law, enduring torture and being kept in a chilling information void.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, the Irpinski Lypky residential complex, which was heavily damaged during the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion, is now undergoing extensive restoration. The housing estate gained global recognition following the liberation of the Kyiv region, attracting numerous international delegations. The destroyed complex also featured in the music video for “Stefania” by the Kalush Orchestra, the band that won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.

Initial assessments deemed the building unsuitable for restoration, recommending its complete demolition. However, the residents, desperate to save their homes, pushed for a second evaluation. While the building’s fate remained uncertain, the community came together every Saturday to clean the area and maintain a sense of order. Eventually, a more in-depth examination brought the news they had been hoping for: the structure could indeed be restored. By the end of 2023, reconstruction work at Irpinski Lypky began, and repairs are now actively underway.

Journalists have been granted exclusive access to witness the progress inside the complex and, where possible, speak with local residents.

For context: On March 2, 2022, russian forces launched airstrikes on Irpin, with two missiles striking a multi-story building on Hostomelke Shose Street. Before the invasion, the complex was home to 206 families. 

The reconstruction of Irpinski Lypky is being overseen by the Kyiv Regional Military Administration in collaboration with the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

In a move widely condemned as illegal, russia has sentenced Ukrainian activist Irina Horobtsova to 10 years and 6 months in prison on charges of “espionage.” 

Horobtsova, a resident of Kherson and an employee of a Ukrainian IT company, gained attention in the spring of 2022 for her outspoken posts on social media about life under russian occupation. She shared images featuring Ukrainian symbols and referred to her apartment as the “home base of the resistance.” However, on May 13, 2022, russian forces abducted her from her home. She was subsequently held in a pre-trial detention center in occupied Crimea, where she was kept in isolation with no access to the outside world or visits from family.

Horobtsova’s parents have expressed their willingness to speak with the media about her situation.

• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson

In 2019, Vladyslav Zadorin enlisted in the Ukrainian army, becoming part of the 35th Marine Brigade. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he found himself stationed on Snake Island. Alongside his fellow defenders, Zadorin was captured by russian forces in the early days of the conflict.

Over the course of two grueling years in captivity, Zadorin endured both physical and psychological torture. His body, once strong, was ravaged by starvation—he lost 60 kilograms, nearly half of his total weight. In the dire conditions of the prison, prisoners were left to starve. Vladyslav recalls the extreme measures they took to survive, with some resorting to eating worms and even chewing on toilet paper.

Vladyslav only learned of his release on a bus ride, a moment filled with disbelief as he had been led to believe he was being transferred to yet another prison. On January 3, 2024, he was finally brought back to Ukraine. Now, Zadorin is undergoing rehabilitation in Odesa. Despite the trauma, he plans to return to military service—this time as an instructor, determined to share his experiences and knowledge.

Vladyslav is open to speaking with journalists, both online and in person, by appointment.

For reference: The battle for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a missile strike on the Ukrainian border garrison. Despite the destruction of all structures on the island, Ukrainian forces continued to resist. After hours of intense fighting, the russian military captured the island and took its defenders prisoner. 

However, on June 30, 2022, the russian forces hastily withdrew from Snake Island, and on July 4, the Ukrainian military raised their flag over the reclaimed territory.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Odesa

For 15 years, Tetiana Hrek has dedicated her life to teaching karate to both children and adults. Together with her husband, she established a private gym in Bucha, Kyiv region. However, the full-scale invasion changed everything. When the war erupted, Tetiana and her family found themselves trapped under occupation. During this harrowing time, their gym was looted by invaders, and their home came under fire.

After two weeks of living under occupation, Tetiana and her family managed to escape to territory controlled by Ukraine. It wasn’t until a year later that she felt ready to return to Bucha. In her absence, fellow coaches who had remained in the city took it upon themselves to restore the gym and resume classes for children. When Tetiana finally returned, she was welcomed back by eager students waiting to train with her again. Additionally, a public martial arts school in Bucha reopened, and she was invited to join as an instructor.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kyiv

On August 7, Kyiv will host the inauguration of the “Alley of Unbreakable Cities,” an exhibition organized by Dobrobat. Sculptor Jan-Pavlo Roman, the exhibition’s creator, describes it as a tribute to the remarkable strength and resilience of Ukrainian cities subjected to russian missile attacks over the past two and a half years.

The exhibition will showcase columns, each dedicated to a different Ukrainian city that has endured the aggressor’s strikes. These columns are adorned with fragments of missiles that have struck buildings, transforming deadly remnants into symbols of defiance, resistance, and renewal. The notches on the columns represent the number of missiles that have targeted each city.

This exhibition serves not only as a memorial to the war’s victims but also as an expression of solidarity and gratitude toward cities that have steadfastly resisted occupation and continue to fight back.

For reference: Dobrobat is a volunteer building division focused on the urgent restoration of housing and infrastructure in areas recently liberated from occupation.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On August 7, a peaceful rally titled “russia Kills in Captivity” will take place in Kyiv. 

The event seeks to remind the public of the tragic reality that russia is responsible for the deaths of both civilians and prisoners of war from Ukraine. 

Over the past two and a half years, more than 160 bodies of Ukrainian defenders, showing signs of torture, have been returned from captivity.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has been invited to participate in the event.

For reference: The march is organized by the Association “Strength of the Marine Corps,” the NGO “Faithful Always 2022,” the NGO “Union of Prisoner of War Families of the 501,” and the NGO “Condemned but not Forgotten.”

• casualties
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Aiden Aslin, originally from the UK, never served in the British military. His journey into conflict began in 2015, when, at 21, he traveled to Syria and spent a year and a half there. 

His interest in Ukraine led him to follow events in the East, and in 2018, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the 137th Marine Battalion of the 35th Brigade. He later transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 36th Marine Brigade, where he served for nearly four years. Aslin found himself in Mariupol during the full-scale invasion, where his unit was encircled for over a month. Captured by russian forces, he endured six months in captivity, during which he faced allegations of mercenarism, terrorism, and attempting to overthrow Donetsk’s “constitutional order,” leading to a death sentence. Subjected to torture, he despaired of ever returning home.

In September 2022, Aslin was released in a prisoner swap. After receiving psychological support in the UK, he has returned to Ukraine and now serves with the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. 

Aslin is available for interviews by prior arrangement, both online and in person.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Tamara Koriahina and her husband, Serhii Mykhailenko, both hail from Mariupol. In 2019, Serhii enlisted in the Azov unit, which has since been absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard.

When the full-scale invasion began, Serhii, who had been training in the Lviv region, returned to Mariupol to defend their home. Meanwhile, Tamara endured the relentless russian shelling, struggling to survive in the besieged city.

On March 18, 2022, Tamara managed to escape. She later discovered that, in early April, Serhii had suffered a shrapnel wound. Tragically, he was unable to undergo surgery due to a shortage of medical supplies.

Tamara last heard from her husband on May 16, 2022: he informed her that he had received orders to surrender and added, “See you soon, get ready for the wedding.” Tamara says this message has sustained her for the past three years. During this period, she has not received any letters from him and has only seen him in russian propaganda videos. She is convinced that her husband is being tortured in the Polar Wolf penal colony in Siberia, where he is currently held. Before being transferred there, Serhii underwent an illegal trial in occupied Donetsk and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In June 2024, Tamara joined a delegation of POWs’ wives who appealed to the Pope for assistance in securing the release of Ukrainians unlawfully detained in russia. 

Tamara Koriahina resides in Dnipro. Serhii Mykhailenkos’s wife is willing to speak with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women
• Dnipro

On July 30, Media Center Ukraine will host a presentation of a report on the enforced disappearance of civilians — one of the crimes committed by russia in the occupied territories. It is a practice when the state or its agents arrest a person without due process or simply kidnap them. Victims cannot speak to a lawyer or relatives and are usually instead of prison or detention center they are held in a location where they can’t rely on the protection of the law.

The T4P initiative managed to identify 5,340 victims of enforced disappearances and filed submissions to the International Criminal Court as well as summaries to the UN Working Group, substantiating that russia deliberately and systematically uses this practice, mostly by persecuting people who have a pro-Ukrainian position, have served in the Ukrainian army, police or civil service.

Participants:

• Hanna Ovdiienko — a lawyer, Co-Author of the report,
• Mykola Komarovskyi — a lawyer of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Co-Author of the report,
• Oleksandra Romantsova — Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties

Prior accreditation is required.

• casualties
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv