#People1st
International campaign for the release of captives held as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
2025 is likely to see some form of negotiation between Russia, Ukraine, and the wider international community. Our movement has come together around a simple call: put people first. A key priority of any negotiated agreement must be the release of all captives and illegally deported children of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Among them:
- Thousands of Ukrainian civilians held by the Russian state
- Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war held by both sides
- Thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported to Russia
- Hundreds of Russian political prisoners held behind bars for protests against the war
We demand:
- In accordance with international law, all Ukrainian civilians captured and illegally detained by Russian forces, including those sentenced by Russian courts, be released and allowed to return home immediately and unconditionally. Those whose homes are in Russian-controlled areas should be given the opportunity to leave for Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the country, should they wish to do so.
- All illegally transferred or deported children be returned.
- It is also essential to ensure the timely repatriation of deported Ukrainian convicts and patients of closed medical institutions, such as nursing homes and psychiatric facilities.
- All efforts are made to repatriate POWs, through exchanges or otherwise, as soon as possible and no later than at the end of active hostilities, as required by the Geneva Conventions.
- Russian political prisoners already sentenced to prison terms or awaiting sentences in connection to their anti-war statements and actions be released and should face no limits on their freedom of movement, including to travel abroad if they wish to do so.
- A special independent international mechanism is established to facilitate these processes, monitor their compliance with international humanitarian law, and ensure regular, transparent reporting on progress, including updates on the release of prisoners and adherence to humanitarian standards.
- Russia must provide immediate full access to all the captives and all illegally transferred or deported children for the UN agencies and ICRC.
“In the years of the war, I have spoken to many survivors of the Russian captivity who told me how they and other captives were beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and raped. They told about having their nails torn out, their kneecaps shattered. They described how they had been deprived of food and sleep, and how the dying had no access to medical assistance. Freeing all the unlawfully detained and exchanging all the prisoners of war should be an absolute priority. The captives may not last long enough to see the end of the war.”
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer leading the Center for Civil Liberties, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
“The terrible scourge of war has already affected tens of millions of people. Lives taken by war cannot be recovered. It is all the more important to rectify what can be rectified. First and foremost, this means returning freedom to those who are in captivity because of the war. People — their freedom — should be the priority of any negotiations.”
Oleg Orlov, Co-Chair of the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, former political prisoner, and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
“The basis for meaningful peace negotiations to end the war against Ukraine should be, at the minimum, the return of all Ukrainian detainees held in Russian prisons and the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Russia. The invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the stark link between aggression abroad and repression at home. The war unleashed against the neighbouring people of Ukraine has, at the same time, unleashed a war against all Russians opposing the aggression. It is imperative that accountability is ensured. Every victim must receive the justice they deserve.”
Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation
In her 2024 report to the Human Rights Council and her first thematic report to the UN General Assembly, entitled “Torture in the Russian Federation: A Tool for Repression at Home and Aggression Abroad,” the Special Rapporteur documented Russia’s strategy of repression and the widespread and systematic crimes in the context of the war against Ukraine.
“Negotiations should not just be about borders and territory. The goal should be to stop the suffering so many people have endured since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This extraordinary campaign, led by courageous Ukrainian and Russian civil society groups, draws attention to the tragedy of thousands of people who have been captured, imprisoned, illegally detained, or forcibly deported during this war.”
Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance at the London School of Economics and Political Science
“It seems all too easy for the world and its political actors to forget that war is not a chess tournament, and negotiations are not just about towns we’ve never heard of being relegated to one side or another of a border. There are real human lives at stake. There are kidnapped children living in terror. There are people being held in dungeons, tortured with electric shocks. The impotence of the United Nations is unforgivable. Our moral imperative is to save all of those taken who are still alive — to save them now.”
Marci Shore, Professor of History, Yale University
“At least nineteen reporters are languishing in the Kremlin’s prisons, subjected to torture and isolation — some for nearly a decade — risking death behind bars. We must not forget them. Their captivity is an absolute emergency — this needs to be resolved.”
Thibaut Bruttin, RSF Director General
“Whatever else is discussed in the Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, one issue should be central and beyond questioning: the fate of all the captives of this war. There are tens of thousands of them: prisoners of war on both sides, Ukrainian civilian hostages, Ukrainian children abducted to Russia, and Russian political prisoners jailed for their antiwar position. They must all be released as part of any settlement. For many, this may literally be the last chance of survival.”
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian opposition politician, author, historian, and former political prisoner
About the campaign
Why now?
During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged that he would end the war launched by Russia in one day. Although this statement is clearly a figure of speech, some form of intergovernmental negotiation is expected to take place soon. While the political solution to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine will be complex, multilayered, and may take years to negotiate, the urgent humanitarian problems faced by wartime detainees are extremely acute. Parties to the conflict have obligations under international law to ensure the release of POWs and civilians unlawfully detained by either party, and any negotiations should make the execution of those obligations a priority. We are launching this campaign to urge all actors to make the fate of wartime detainees the first issue they tackle in the upcoming negotiations.
The release of Ukrainian civilians and POWs captured by Russian or Russian-controlled forces is one of the most pressing issues today. The upcoming negotiations may well be a key opportunity in the near future to secure the timely release of all Ukrainian civilians illegally held by Russia.
Why People First?
The campaign is calling for prioritizing the unconditional release of all detained civilians, both adults and children. These include civilians detained and held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine, and those detained in occupied areas and forcibly transferred to Russia, where they are held in detention facilities. The campaign also calls for the earliest possible release and repatriation of all prisoners of war (POWs) as a priority for any negotiated agreement.
According to Ukraine’s Ombudsperson, 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are missing and held unlawfully in Russia. As of September 1, 2024, Ukrainian human rights defenders documented the disappearances of 7,615 people. Civilians unlawfully detained during international armed conflict, including under military occupation, should be released immediately and unconditionally, and allowed to return to their homes. For those whose home is in Russian-controlled areas, they should be allowed to leave for Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the country.
Thousands are held by both sides of the conflict. According to findings by UN bodies and human rights organizations, Ukrainian POWs and civilians held in Russia in connection with the war have been subjected to torture and other forms of degrading and inhumane treatment, including the degradation of their national identity and the violation of their personal dignity. While the Geneva Conventions require the prompt release and repatriation of POWs at the end of active hostilities, the negotiations offer the opportunity to underscore that this must happen as soon as possible — particularly given the condition of many POWs due to their ill-treatment.
The upcoming negotiations may also present a unique opportunity to facilitate the return of children who have been forcibly transferred from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Since February 24, 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported or forcibly transferred.
In addition, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have imprisoned hundreds of Russians and citizens of other countries for anti-war statements and actions expressing support for, or aimed at helping, Ukraine. Most of them have already been sentenced to long prison terms; some are still awaiting a court verdict — behind bars and without any hope for a fair hearing.
Who does our campaign address?
We urge the new U.S. administration, along with all international bodies and governments involved in or having influence on negotiations, to urgently address these acute humanitarian issues.
Online press conference: On the tragic anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN Special Rapporteur, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and human rights groups demand the release of all captives of war
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Endorsed by
Center for Civil Liberties
International Memorial Association
Human Rights Watch
International Federation for Human Rights
Memorial Human Rights Defense Center
Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
Moscow Helsinki Group
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
PAX
Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur Liberté et la Nôtre !
Human Rights Group SICH
Stichting Justice Initiative
European Prison Litigation Network
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Another Europe Is Possible
OVD-Info
Platform of Civic, Anti-War and Humanitarian Initiatives
Truth Hounds, Ukraine
Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, Ukraine
Protection for Prisoners of Ukraine
Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin
Assemblée Européenne des Citoyens, France
Ukraine Comb’art
European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine
Syrian British Consortium
Clear, Centre of Law Enforcement Activities Research
“Russia Behind Bars” Charity Foundation for Aid to Convicts and Their Families
Freedom for Eurasia
Expert Group “Sova”
“Peace. Progress. Human Rights” Movement
Organization of Relatives of Missing Persons “Liberta”
Public Verdict
The autonomous non-profit human rights organization “School of the Recruit”
30 October Foundation
The Natalia Estemirova Documentation Center
Civil Society Forum e.V.
European Network in Solidarity with Ukraine and Against War
Rapid Response Unit
Centre de la Protection Internationale
Forum for Peaceful Russia
ZHUK
Feminist Anti-War Resistance
Reporters Without Borders
Russie-Libertés
Quarteera
Association of Families of Missing and Captured Servicemen of the 24th Brigade
Numo, Sisters!
Ukraine Without Torture
Docudays
Foundation “Human and Law”
“Russian-speaking democrats”
Demokrati-JA
Smårådina
Civics for Transitional Justice
Deputies of the Peaceful Russia
Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-violente
“The Last Word”
Solidarité Free Azat
Russians Against War Vienna
New political prisoners
Democratic community of Russian-speakers in Finland
Freies Russland NRW
Action4Life
Campaign launched on Jan 28, 2025