A special issue of “No Peace Without Justice” on the rights of Ukrainian prisoners was presented in Kyiv
The English-language magazine The Ukrainian Review and the international initiative No Peace Without Justice, which tell about Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in captivity by Russia, were presented in Kyiv. The main goal of the project is to draw the attention of the international community to the torture of Ukrainians and to hold those responsible accountable.
This is stated in the material of The Ukrainian Review.
The presentation took place on October 1 at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center. The discussion was attended by Ukrainian military personnel, MPs, representatives of state institutions, human rights organizations, and the media.
The magazine collected stories of former prisoners, official data, materials from human rights activists, and research on the torture of Ukrainians in Russian prisons.
The editor of the publication, Darya Maslenkova, emphasized that the cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners is not an isolated incident, but a systemic practice in Russia.
During the meeting, Dmytro Kanupier, a soldier of the Azov Brigade, who defended Mariupol and Azovstal and was later captured by the Russians, told his story. He spent about 350 days in Taganrog, where, according to him, he was subjected to physical and psychological violence.
After his release, the soldier returned to service and began to talk about his experiences abroad. He also wrote a book, “Okrayets,” which included 54 memoirs about captivity.
Separately, the presentation participants discussed the problem of access of international organizations to Ukrainian prisoners.
Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters, reported that since the beginning of the full-scale war, it has been possible to identify about 300 places where the Russians have held or are still holding Ukrainians. At the same time, international organizations do not have proper access to these facilities.
The meeting participants also spoke about the need to increase international pressure on Russia. In particular, MP Pavlo Frolov proposed raising the issue of Ukrainian prisoners at the winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna and preparing a separate resolution.
In addition, possible steps included personal sanctions against those involved in torture, cooperation with international media, and involvement of countries that can influence Russia.
The organizers hope that the magazine will help bring the stories of Ukrainian prisoners to foreign politicians, diplomats, and international organizations and increase pressure on Russia.