Themes by tag: russian crimes
Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko had spent 11 years building their Lymanska Koza eco-farm in Stanislav, a village in the Kherson region. The couple raised 30 goats, 11 dogs, and 10 cats, made artisanal cheese, and hosted tours for children and adults. But when the war began, their thriving farm suddenly found itself under occupation.
For eight and a half months, Olena and Valentyn lived surrounded by russian forces, surviving by bartering food with neighbors. When Ukrainian troops liberated the village, they stayed on for another year, enduring relentless shelling. Several strikes hit their property, killing one animal, burning their feed, and leaving Valentyn with a concussion.
By October 2023, the couple decided they could no longer stay. They evacuated to the Kyiv region, where fellow displaced Ukrainians from Donetsk welcomed them and offered a farmhouse and land free of charge. Within a year, their herd had doubled in size, and life began to take root again.
Now, the Bielozorenkos are planning to open a rehabilitation center for Ukrainian soldiers on their new farm, hoping to turn a place once marked by survival into one of healing and recovery.
Olena and Valentyn Bielozorenko are available for online interviews.
For reference: russian forces occupied Kherson early in the full-scale invasion, on March 1, 2022. Ukrainian forces liberated the city on November 11, 2022, but russian troops continue to shell the region regularly.
The Center for Civil Liberties invites you to discuss what lessons Ukraine can draw from the Nuremberg Trials in its pursuit of justice. The event will occur on October 23, in Kyiv.
Eighty years ago, one of the most significant trials in international criminal justice began. In Nuremberg, the leaders of Nazi Germany were prosecuted – a process that laid the foundation for the modern system of international justice.
Ukraine should not wait until the war’s end to begin its path toward justice. It is already moving in this direction: on June 25, 2025, Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed an Agreement on establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
During the discussion, we will address what a “Ukrainian Nuremberg” could look like and how it might differ from the historical one; whether justice during war is possible; what powers the Special Tribunal should have; how to coordinate the work of national courts and international institutions; and what role society, the media, and international partners will play in ensuring justice.
The event will also feature the presentation of the book “The Nuremberg Principles and Ukraine: Contemporary Challenges of Peace, Security, and Justice” – a collection that reinterprets the legacy of the Nuremberg Trials in the context of russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The authors analyze the concepts of “crime of aggression” and “crimes against humanity,” examine the effectiveness of international justice in modern warfare, and explore issues such as the deportation of Ukrainian children, the destruction of cultural heritage, and the experience of tribunals after Nuremberg – from Yugoslavia to Rwanda.
Speakers:
- Anton Korynevych – Director of the Department of International Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Second Class; Agent of Ukraine before the International Court of Justice.
- Dr. Herbert R. Reginbogin – co-author of the book “The Nuremberg Principles and Ukraine: Contemporary Challenges of Peace, Security, and Justice”; Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director, Center for Civil Liberties.
Note: The event will be held in English only (no interpretation will be provided). No livestream is planned. Event registration is required.
On October 21, a briefing in Kyiv will showcase the ongoing efforts to preserve the artistic heritage of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design, which was partially destroyed by a russian missile strike earlier this year.
The briefing will focus on the work carried out to stabilize, unblock, and safeguard the artworks rescued from the damaged building. Journalists will have a rare opportunity to visit the site, observe the restoration process, and view the recovered pieces.
The Academy suffered significant damage on March 25, 2024, when the central part of the building – home to a collection of unique works – was hit by a missile. The strike caused partial destruction, threatening the survival of invaluable art pieces.
Participants in the briefing will include:
- Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of UNESCO Desk in Ukraine;
- Ihor Poshyvailo, Coordinator of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE) and, General Director of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
- Svitlana Strelnikova, Director of the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine;
- Olena Osadcha, Rector of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design.
Representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, as well as the Ministry of Education, have also been invited to attend.
Following the briefing, participants will be guided through an exhibition of the surviving artworks, led by Academy Rector Olena Osadcha.
Registration is required to attend the event.
For reference: The rescue operation was carried out with the support of UNESCO and implemented by Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE) in collaboration with the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, alongside the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. The operation also featured a specialized workshop, “Saving Cultural Heritage during War: Stabilizing Damaged Collections,” and two one-day intensive training sessions for museum staff and heritage conservationists.
Oleksii Sivak, a 42-year-old former sailor from Kherson, saw his life upended by russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Remaining in the city with his wife and disabled mother-in-law, he engaged in acts of peaceful resistance, posting anti-russian leaflets and creating effigies of “dead russians” with like-minded people to make the occupiers feel unwelcome on Ukrainian soil.
On August 24, 2022 — Ukraine’s Independence Day — Oleksii and a fellow resident displayed a Ukrainian flag in the city. The next day, Russian forces captured them both. Oleksii was beaten in front of his wife and held captive for 59 days, during which he was tortured and sexually assaulted (CRSV — conflict-related sexual violence).
After being released, Oleksii started looking for his former cellmates. This effort evolved into the creation of the Alumni Network, which unites men who have survived captivity and torture. He now heads the Alumni NGO, which was established to support Ukrainians affected by russian aggression, including torture and CRSV. The organization provides legal and psychological aid and organizes retreats for its several hundred members, ranging in age from 20 to 76.
Journalists can speak with Oleksii in Kyiv, Kherson, or online by prior arrangement.
Background: russian forces occupied Kherson at the start of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. The Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city on November 11, 2022. However, it continues to endure regular shelling by russian forces.
Dmytro Khilyuk, a Ukrainian journalist with 20 years of experience and a correspondent for the UNIAN news agency, has endured over three years of captivity at the hands of the russians as a civilian hostage.
In early March 2022, russian occupiers abducted Khilyuk and his father from a street in Kozarovychi, a village in the Kyiv oblast where the family lived. His father was later released, but Dmytro was taken first to Belarus and then to russia.
He was initially held in SIZO-2 (Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 2) in Novozybkov in the Bryansk region. In an interview, Dmytro recounted that, during the so-called “intake process”, detainees were severely beaten with batons and fists, thrown to the ground, and attacked by dogs. In May 2023, he was transferred to a prison in Pakino in the Vladimir region, where he remained until his liberation.
In total, Dmytro Khilyuk spent 3 years, 5 months, and 21 days in russian captivity. He finally returned home on August 24, 2025, during a prisoner exchange coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day.
By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Dmytro in Kyiv or in online format.
TEAHOUSE, a Ukrainian tea producer operating since 2006, is rebuilding after a russian drone strike destroyed its facility in Dnipro in July. The attack wiped out about 100 tons of raw materials, workshops, and equipment.
Despite the loss, the company quickly found a new space and resumed production. It has since become the first business in Ukraine to receive a state grant for reconstruction.
On October 11-12, TEAHOUSE will host the Autumn Kyiv Tea Festival 2025, an especially meaningful event for the team, marking both resilience and renewal after the attack.
Journalists will be able to speak with company representatives and learn more about TEAHOUSE’s recovery efforts during the festival in Kyiv.
The project “War Crimes in Crimea” aims to explain in simple terms what war crimes are, which actions by the occupiers fall under this category, and how victims can protect their rights.
Key topics:
– Main types of crimes recorded in the temporarily occupied territory (deportation, violations of property rights, forced mobilization);
– Action algorithm for citizens who have faced persecution: where to apply, how to preserve evidence, and what compensation possibilities exist;
– Activities of the autonomous republic’s law enforcement agencies in documenting crimes committed by the occupation authorities and responding to citizens’ appeals;
– Information dissemination formats: video clips, social advertising, informational materials, and public reception offices;
– The role of applicants in international processes to hold perpetrators accountable.
Participants:
– Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
– Vitalii Sekretar, First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;
– Akhtem Seitablayev, Director of the State Enterprise “Crimean House”.
Oleksandr Shvetsov, a Ukrainian army veteran who lost a leg in combat and later his home to russian shelling, has given away money raised for his recovery to help neighbors left with nothing.
Shvetsov has been serving since 2014. He was seriously wounded near Luhansk, where he lost his leg. After returning from the front, he went through a personal crisis, struggling to adapt to life with a prosthetic, refusing rehabilitation, and turning to alcohol and drugs. Over time, he overcame those struggles, broke free from addiction, and, after time abroad, learned to manage severe panic attacks.
Driven to help others, he started the “Hero Bus” initiative, which gave dozens of fellow veterans the chance to travel to France and Poland.
On the night of Sept. 10, 2025, a russian strike hit his home and car in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. A rocket landed just 20 meters from the house, heavily damaging the property but sparing his life. He managed to escape unharmed and saved his animals.
After sharing photos of the destruction online and appealing for help, Shvetsov received more than one million hryvnias in donations within two days. Instead of using the money to rebuild his place, he gave it all to neighbors whose homes were destroyed in the same attack and had received no help.
Shvetsov is available for interviews, either online or in person in Zhytomyr, by prior arrangement.
On September 26, the Media Center Ukraine will host the presentation of an analytical report: “How russia is erasing Ukrainian identity under the guise of fighting extremism”.
Participants:
– Mariia Krasnenko, report author, expert at the Centre of Civil Education Almenda;
– Tetiana Lychko, documentarian at the Centre of Civil Education Almenda;
– Valentina Potapova, head of Direction of National Advocacy at the Centre of Civil Education Almenda;
Key topics:
– How anti-extremism laws are being used to suppress Ukrainian culture and enforce a “all-russian identity”;
– Pressure tactics targeting teachers, students, and school communities in occupied territories under the pretext of “countering extremism”;
– Measures needed at the national and international levels to protect the Ukrainian identity of children in occupied territories;
– Examples of successful strategies already in place to counter russian ideological influence on Ukrainian children’s worldview through education.
Background: Since 2014, russia has not only conducted military aggression but also pursued a systematic campaign of ideological control in occupied territories. Under the pretext of “fighting extremism”, moscow has used legislation to target anyone preserving Ukrainian language, culture, and identity, with children and schools among the primary targets.
On October 2 in Kyiv, as part of the 16th Odesa International Film Festival, the documentary Children in the Fire (Ukraine, USA, and the Czech Republic; directed by Evgeny Afineevsky) will premiere. The film documents crimes committed against Ukrainian children during the war, including abduction, deportation, and attempts at forced assimilation.
Subjects include Valeriia Sydorova, from Nova Kakhovka, who survived russian occupation and deportation to Crimea; Yana Stepanenko, who lost her legs in a russian missile attack on the Kramatorsk railway station; and Vladislav Buryak, who endured russian captivity. You can read the children’s detailed stories here.
Despite their traumatic experiences, the eight young protagonists continue to believe in the future and are pursuing careers as athletes, artists, and civil servants.
The film has already been screened at festivals in Monte Carlo, Raindance, and Documentaries Without Borders.
Journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the children featured in the film and the creative team. Registration is required to attend the event.
