In 2022, three OSCE SMM staff members — Ukrainian citizens Dmytro Shabanov, Maksym Petrov, and Vadym Golda — were detained and subsequently convicted of “treason” and “espionage.” ULAG represents the interests of Dmytro and Maksym’s families.
Their detention has been accompanied by torture, inhuman treatment, and inadequate conditions of detention. In 2025, Dmytro and Maksym were deported from a penal colony in the Luhansk region to remote regions of the Russian Federation — Omsk and Chelyabinsk.
National proceedings — pre-trial investigation under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
UN Human Rights Committee — a complaint was filed in the spring of 2025. On June 17, 2025, the case was registered with the Committee. The Committee is currently engaging with the State party, and the claimants.
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The voices of Ukrainians must be heard
The letter was published in May 2026 on the website of our long-time partner ECCHR, in the Living Open Archive section. It is a collection of personal impressions and stories from ECCHR staff and partners about the projects they work on, the injustices and contexts they experience, and the world they envision. They share intimate reflections in letters to their colleagues, allies, and the world.
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Prisoners of War Tried as Terrorists: What Is Happening to Ukrainian Soldiers Captured in Russia’s Kursk Region
The number of Ukrainians captured by Russian forces in the Kursk region remains hidden by the fog of war and defenders may be considered missing in action for months before suddenly appearing in photographs posted on Telegram channels alongside other prisoners of war. Or, conversely, families may search those same channels every day for any trace of their loved one, only to one day receive the devastating news of their death.
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ECtHR Case Law on the Consequences of the Armed Conflict in Ukraine: The Detention of Ukrainian Troops at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, one of the primary objectives of the Russian armed forces was to seize control of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP). In February 2022, Russian troops occupied the facility and detained everyone there, including both civilian personnel responsible for maintaining the operation of the plant and members of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), who were responsible for the facility’s security.
