Freeing all the unlawfully detained in the Ukraine war should be an absolute priority.
That is the view of Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent Ukrainian human rights lawyer.
Matviichuk was speaking to this website on Monday ahead of a crunch meeting in the White House between President Donald Trump and his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
She alleged, “The Russian Federation continues to hold tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war.”
She continues, “Tens of thousands more are missing as victims of enforced disappearances. Thousands of Russian political prisoners deprived of their liberty because of their anti-war positions and actions remain behind bars.
“The key priority of any negotiated agreement must be the release of all captives of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she said.
“Among them: Thousands of Ukrainian civilians held by the Russian state; Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war held by both sides; At least 20,000 of children forcibly transferred or deported to Russia; Hundreds of Russian political prisoners held behind bars for protests against the war,” she said.
“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.”
She further claimed, “They told about having their nails torn out, their kneecaps shuttered. 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”.
Matviichuk leads the Centre for Civil Liberties in Kyiv where she has played a critical role documenting war crimes and advocating for justice amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for her courageous human rights work, she will be in Amsterdam on 24-5 August to deliver a keynote address, speaking about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle and the global fight to defend democratic values amid rising threats worldwide.
Meanwhile, EC president Ursula von der Leyen issued a statement after her meeting in Brussels on Sunday with the Ukraine president.
She will also meet Donald Trump, with other EU leaders, on Monday.
The statement says, “Since the beginning of Russia’s brutal invasion, Europe has been at Ukraine’s side, united, and we will support you for as long as it takes for a just and lasting peace. And this peace must be achieved through strength. Let me touch upon the main points.”
“First, we must have strong security guarantees to protect both Ukraine and Europe’s vital security interests. Ukraine must be able to uphold its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. There can be no limitations on Ukrainian armed forces, be it cooperation with other third countries, or assistance from other third countries – no limitations for the Ukrainian armed forces. As I have often said, Ukraine must become a steel porcupine, undigestible for potential invaders. We welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the Coalition of the Willing, including the European Union, is ready to do its share. We know that the work of defending Europe is first and foremost our responsibility. And we have been working hard to speed up and scale up as we increase Europe’s defence capability. Through the SAFE instrument, we are ensuring that the defence needs of Member States and Ukraine can be matched and that Ukraine’s industrial defence base is strengthened. I am thinking in particular of drones here. This is in our mutual interest, and I intend to travel to the frontline Member States in the coming weeks. At the same time, we continue to support Ukraine’s path to its membership in the European Union. This in itself is also a security guarantee.”
“My second point with regard to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: International borders cannot be changed by force. These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.
“My third and final point: As long as the bloodshed in Ukraine continues, Europe will maintain diplomatic and, in particular, economic pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions. We have adopted 18 packages so far, and we are advancing preparation for the 19th. This package will be forthcoming in early September. We know that sanctions are effective, we have already put Russia’s immobilised assets to work for the benefit of Ukraine, and we will continue to put pressure on Russia’s war economy to bring President Putin to the negotiation table.”
“We are working with you, Volodymyr, and President Trump in this sense. We will discuss all these topics and others in our joint meeting at the White House tomorrow. These are challenging times; only Ukraine can choose its own destiny, but Ukraine can always count on Europe,” it concludes.
