Themes by tag: russian crimes

On December 17, the Media Center Ukraine will present the study “Anatomy of a Systematic Crime: How russia Persecutes Civilians”. In this new report, the Media Initiative for Human Rights reconstructs crimes committed by russians against civilians during the occupation of the northern regions of Ukraine. The findings show that the persecution of civilians is not a series of isolated acts of brutality by russian soldiers, but rather a systematic, deliberate, and targeted policy by russia’s military and political leadership.

The study is based on 143 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses analyzed using the specialized I-DOC database, which provides links between individual incidents.

Participants:

– Lyubov Smachylo, Head of the Analytics Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR);

– Anna Rassamakhina, Head of the War and Justice Department at MIHR;

– Lene Wetteland, Head of the Documentation and Accountability Center at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (online);

– Yuliia, wife of a civilian abducted and tortured at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast.

Discussion topics:

– War crimes committed by the russian army against civilians and crimes against humanity in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts;

– Deportation routes and places of detention of civilians on the territory of the russian federation;

– Individuals involved in crimes against civilians and crimes against humanity.

Prior registration required.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On December 17 in Kyiv, the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin and the Center for Civil Liberties will present an analytical report and hold a public discussion on how civilians who independently escaped from russian captivity can prove their imprisonment by the aggressor state.

According to the Ministry of Reintegration as of November 2023, every third attempt to confirm illegal imprisonment of civilians as a result of russian aggression ends in a refusal. As a result, people who were tortured and detained without rights or documents are left without essential state support.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the following participants:

• Kateryna Levchenko, lawyer with the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin;
• Mykhailo Savva, Doctor of Political Science and member of the Expert Council of the Center for Civil Rights;
• Yuliia Poliekhina, lawyer with the Human Rights Protection Group “Sich” and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (online);
• Oleksandr Panchenko, former prisoner released from unlawful detention (online).

Moderator: Ihor Kotelianets, head of the Association of relatives of Kremlin political prisoners.

Registration is required.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The book “Workshop of Lies” examines how russian media, social networks and cultural diplomacy have become tools of manipulation on all continents. The publication aims to teach readers how to identify false information and think critically in the context of information warfare.

The authors, Viktor Berezenko and Dmytro Tsarenko, are political strategists and media consultants with 15 years of experience. Written in a popular-science style, the book marks their literary debut and is a culmination of their expertise in political strategy, media wars, and countering Kremlin disinformation. All royalties from book sales will be donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The book was launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Among the first recipients of “Workshop of Lies” were Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In the spring of 2025, the English version of the book will be presented in Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, London, Paris and Washington, while the Spanish edition will be launched in Madrid.

Journalists can arrange an online interview with Viktor Berezenko by prior arrangement.

• culture
• russian crimes

On December 13 the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of the art and historical project “Flowers of Victory”. The centerpiece of the project is a sculpture crafted from the remnants of an enemy infantry fighting vehicle destroyed in the Kyiv oblast, and ammunition fragments left behind by russian shelling of civilian targets. The sculpture depicts sunflowers growing through enemy equipment, symbolizing Ukraine’s triumph over the aggressor.

Participants:

– Kostiantyn Cherniavskyi, chairman of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Honored Artist of Ukraine; 

– Bohdan Mazur, author of the sculptural composition, winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine;

– Mamuka Mamulashvili, soldier, founder and commander of the Georgian National Legion;

– Oleksandr Kuklyshyn, project manager and head of the NGO “Green Stripe”.

During the event, journalists will have an opportunity to see metal fragments from russian missiles left after the attack on the Ohmatdyt National Children’s Hospital.

• culture
• russian crimes
• weapon
• Kyiv

Governments, security and military organizations of other countries will study Ukraine’s experience in countering cyber-attacks through the TRYZUB cyber-training platform. This initiative is a cooperation between the American company CYBER RANGES, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, and CERT-UA. This was announced by Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation.

According to Fedorov, the platform will simulate real cyber attacks on critical infrastructure in a secure environment. It will replicate the actions of major hacker groups that have targeted Ukraine. Military units, government agencies, law enforcement organizations, and critical network operators from around the world will be trained on the TRYZUB platform. A portion of the proceeds from these trainings will be donated to UNITED24 to support Ukraine.

Under preliminary agreements, journalists will have the opportunity to report on the TRYZUB platform, including the ability to:

• Interview project representatives to discuss the value, goals and importance of the project to NATO countries and beyond.
• Speak with representatives of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine who developed the scenarios based on real cyber-attacks that Ukraine has faced, and who can provide insights into the cyber threats and challenges that Ukraine is overcoming during the war, and how this experience can benefit other nations.
• Connect with representatives from CYBER RANGES, the U.S. company providing the training platform. Known worldwide among cybersecurity professionals, they can discuss their motivation for participating in the project, their observations of global cyberattack trends, the behavior of russian hackers, and the risks posed by their attacks on critical infrastructure in countries supporting Ukraine. (This can be done via video call or in the US)

Background information: russia’s war against Ukraine is considered the first war in history to be fought also in cyberspace. Ukraine currently ranks among the top nations in terms of the number of cyber attacks it faces. However, these threats are not limited to Ukraine – they have escalated to a global scale, affecting the U.S. and European countries. According to this year’s Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum, cyber vulnerabilities rank fourth among the most serious risks for the next two years and are projected to remain among the top eight risks for the next decade.

• russian crimes

Yulian Pylypei, a seasoned Ukrainian Marine, endured unimaginable hardships during his more than two years in captivity. A professional soldier since 2013, Pylypei joined the Marines in 2017, serving in Mariupol. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, he was leading a mortar battery in the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy.

On April 14, 2022, Pylypei and his comrades were captured while attempting to break through to Azovstal. His family learned of his capture through a text sent in russian from his phone. Over the next two years and five months, he was moved through several detention facilities, including Sartana, Olenivka, Taganrog, Novozybkov, Kursk, and Mordovia, before returning to Novozybkov. Each location brought its own trials, which Pylypei recounts in harrowing detail.

Twice accused and tried by his captors, Pylypei suffered relentless abuse. He was beaten for refusing to confess to ordering attacks on civilians, starved, and subjected to torture, including an attempt to burn off his tattoo of the Ukrainian coat of arms with a stun gun. In his prayers, Pylypei asked for the strength to remain sane amid the torment.

When he was taken from his cell with his belongings, Pylypei assumed he was being transferred to another prison. He could hardly believe it when he was informed he was part of a prisoner exchange. On September 13, 2024, after 29 months in captivity, Pylypei finally returned home to Ukraine.

Those wishing to meet or speak with Yulian Pylypei, either online or in person in Kyiv, can arrange it in advance.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Peaceful events are planned in 24 cities across Ukraine to raise awareness of the defenders of Azovstal and other soldiers still in enemy captivity.

On December 7, rallies will be held in Okhtyrka, Pivdenoukrainsk, Pavlohrad, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Irpin, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia.

On December 8, peaceful actions are scheduled in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Uzhhorod, Korosten, Obukhiv, Brovary, Krolevets, Ovruch, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Odesa, Ostroh and Chernivtsi.

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 December 9, the Media Center Ukraine will host a public discussion on how the aggressor country systematically uses conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as a weapon of war and a form of torture against civilians and prisoners of war. Testimony from individuals released from captivity reveals that approximately 90% of Ukrainian POWs were subjected to torture, rape, threats of sexual violence, or other forms of cruel treatment. These atrocities have been documented by both national and international institutions.

The response and counteraction to CRSV is under the constant control of the Government of Ukraine. In particular, mechanisms are being sought to hold the russian federation accountable for crimes committed by its armed forces and associated armed groups. One proposed mechanism for accountability is the inclusion of russia on the UN List of Shame.

Participants:

– Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy;

– Anna Sosonska, representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (online);

– Oleksandr Osipov, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Equal Rights and Freedoms, Right of National Minorities, Political and Religious Beliefs;

– Yevheniia Lukianchenko, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration – Minister of Justice (online);

– Oleksiy Syvak, founder of the NGO “Graduates”;

– Iryna Dovhan, Head of SEMA Ukraine, member of the Board of the Global Survivors Fund for survivors of CRSV (online);

– Olena Lazarieva, member of SEMA Ukraine;

– Liudmyla Huseinova, member of the Supervisory Board of the Urgent Interim Reparations for CRSV survivors pilot project, founder of the NGO “Let’s Go, Sisters”;

– Andrii Kochmuradov, Head of the NGO “29 December”.

• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Highlighting the importance of creating a truly inclusive environment for people who have lost limbs due to landmine and explosive injuries, FRIDA Ukraine had the opportunity to meet Nataliia and help her get back on both feet.

Nataliia is a nurse from the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast. A russian shell hit her house and she lost a limb. In telling her story, she emphasized that in spite of everything, she continues to live life to the fullest and does not want to be pitied. After Nataliia became the face of the FRIDA Ukraine project, their German partners heard about her. A few months of logistical arrangements followed, and Nataliia returned with a prosthesis and an incredible determination to help others.

Her home clinic from Bakhmut has been relocated to Brovary in the Kyiv oblast, where Nataliia continues her lifelong mission.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian mission of volunteer doctors from Ukraine and Israel. It has been providing emergency and outpatient medical care to civilians affected by the hostilities since the beginning of the invasion.

• casualties
• doctors
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Before joining the Azov Brigade, Svitlana Vorova worked as a senior engineer at Ukrzaliznytsia and raised three children. One of her sons, Oleksandr Kutuzakii, was in the Azov Brigade from the very beginning. On 15 February 2015, the vehicle carrying Svitlana’s son was ambushed by enemy forces. His body was taken by kadyrov’s troops and returned mutilated, but Svitlana chose to bury him in an open coffin to expose the brutality of the enemy.

The loss of Oleksandr was devastating for Svitlana, especially after the deaths of her father and father-in-law and a divorce. Her two younger children helped her to cope with the loss and find the strength to move on.

In 2020, she decided to honour the legacy of her fallen son by joining the Azov Brigade herself.

When the full-scale invasion began, Svitlana was in Mariupol with her comrades and soon found herself in Azovstal. Although her commander offered women the chance to leave through a green corridor, Svitlana stayed. She spent 86 days in the steelworks, was taken prisoner with her comrades and spent 11 months in a russian prison camp. According to Svitlana, the women were not physically tortured, but they were subjected to constant psychological abuse. On her return, Svitlana spent eight months in rehabilitation centres, hospitals and sanatoriums. She then re-joined the army.

Svitlana Vorova is currently serving in the East. Interviews with her can be arranged online or in person by prior arrangement with the Azov Brigade press service.

• casualties
• dead
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women