There is no exchange for them: how to release Ukrainian civilians with prisons in

Doctors, farmers, drivers, former military, builders, journalists - people of various professions were hostages of the Russian Federation after the occupation of Ukrainian territories in 2022. Why the simple civilians now have the chances of going out of Russian prisons, and how to bring this moment closer, the focus was understood. During the full -scale invasion, the Russian Federation detained thousands of civilians, and a large number of exported to its territory.

The reasons for detention of most of them are unknown. Someone did not pass the so -called filtration because he had patriotic tattoos, someone was accused of "counteracting a special military operation" for publicly writing about occupation, someone was closed in a pre -trial detention center for suspicion of sabotage. Most of these Ukrainians are currently in detention facilities and colonies without accusations, investigative actions, courts and prospects of release.

Because unlike prisoners of war, they are exchanged regularly, there are no mechanisms or algorithms for civilians to return home. Dmitry Khiluk, Ukrainian journalist of the UNIAN agency, was in his house in the village of Kozarovichi, Vyshgorod district in Kyiv region at the time of a full -scale invasion. There he lives with his parents. Kozarovichi is a settlement on the shore of the Kiev Sea.

The village was occupied on the third day of a full -scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine - February 26, 2022. "The hostile column of about one hundred units of armored vehicles moves to the capital through the Vyshgorod district of Kyiv region. On the boards of the technique, the white letter V, on the sleeves of the invaders, white adhesive tape," - so wrote Khiluk that day. He later reported that gateways were blown across the Irpin River: the water floods the river valley.

Meanwhile, the Russian army placed on the roads checkpoints. First - to check the documents, and then - to identify those they called corrections and gunners. Went with checks on homes. For the Russian forces, which were around the Kozarovych, Ukrainian artillery was constantly arrived. For the first time, the invaders were staged in Dmitry Khiluk's house on March 1, 2022.

Dmitry Vasily's father recalls that people came in shape, looking for phones - they took him and his wives, Dmitry was not found. Another day, the journalist's house was partially destroyed. The family went to live with neighbors. But in one of the days, March 3, the father and son decided to go for things. They were stopped and detained. Initially, Dmitry and Vasily were kept in warehouses in the territory of Kozarovichi. Then transported to the neighboring settlement - the dimer.

As it turned out, to the territory of one of the local enterprises. "There were already people in the compressor. As it is clear now, Dimer was for the Russian military center, where the detainees of civilians from the surrounding settlements were taken. On March 11, Dmitry was removed from that room. The father asked when he was returned home and heard after the war. The Russian military already knew that Dmitry was a journalist. Hylyuk Jr. was taken away and his father was released.

Probably, at that moment, the Russian soldiers believed that they would still be able to capture Kiev, so hostages would be needed to later negotiate their release. That is why they began to export civilians from the places of detention in Ukraine to the Russian Federation. As witnesses released over time say, Dmitry was probably taken to Gostomel, who was also occupied, and then - through Belarus - to Russia, in Novozibkiv Bryansk region.

It was there that in the local detention center of the Russian Federation for a long time was kept both military captives in the Kiev region, in particular at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and civilians. In August 2022, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross transferred to the parents of Dmitry Khiluk a letter. On the envelope there was a stamp "Post Russia".

There was only one sentence in the letter: "My dear mom, dad, I'm alive, healthy, I have all good" and date - April 14. More news from Dmitry did not come. The few released civilians said they did not see Dmitry in Novozibkov, but only heard his voice, and also knew that somewhere near the chamber they were held by a journalist.

And only one National Guard from the Chernobyl NPP, released in the second half of 2023, confirmed that he was with Dmitry in neighboring cameras, and in May 2023 he and Dmitry were taken to the Vladimir region. Then their paths dispersed - Yuri was transported to Mordovia, Dmitry probably remained in the correctional colony No. 7 near Kovrov.

The exact number of civilian hostages held by the Russian Federation, no one is taken-the occupation continues yet, which means that at any time detention can occur. Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets calls the figure: 28 thousand people. He says that so many are considered missing in special circumstances and illegally deprived of personal freedom as a result of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. However, it is obvious that this figure is too large.

It is said that the Commissioner calculated all citizens whose relatives appealed to the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and declared the disappearance from the beginning of a full -scale invasion. However, such a list contains exactly those who voluntarily or forced to go to the territory of the Russian Federation remain in the occupied territory, losing their connection, and those who, unfortunately, died as a result of hostilities.

Only a few thousand, according to different estimates - from 4 to 7, are in places of freedom, where such as Dmitry Khiluk hides the Russian system. According to Ukrainian human rights organizations, about one and a half thousand civilians can be considered verified, which from the beginning of a full -scale invasion of Russian military, as well as representatives of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, stole and hold - both in occupied territories in prisons and in Russia.

These people do not live in temporary premises, children's camps or other places such as "refugees", "displaced persons" in the Russian Federation, they are kept behind bars, they are not allowed any contact with the outside world-correspondence or phone call But they beat. If we talk about the Kiev region, more than 250 civilians were taken to the territory of the Russian Federation in one month. The units returned as a result of the exchange.

All others are still hostage in the Russian Federation. Most of them, like Khiluk, kept in the Bryansk region for over a year, and then transferred to other institutions deep into the Russian Federation. The part, as Dmitry, in the Vladimir region, others - to the Tula region in a correctional institution in the city of Donskoy. Also, civilians from the Kiev region were taken to a pre -trial detention center in Kursk.

"When we were brought to the Kursk detention center, the so -called reception process began. We were beaten with shockers, boards, feet, put on our heads, washed and shaved. We turned alternately boiling water and cold water. From above, put a package on their heads, beat a boxing glove . . . They just bullied, " - says Focus a resident of the village of Mykulychi of Buchan district Alexander Kovalchuk. The man was abducted from his house by the Russian military on March 2, 2022.

The reason for the detention was the correspondence in the phone with a friend whom Kovalchuk sent a photo of Russian equipment. "Checks took place every day, brought to the corridor, we were attacked by service dogs - sheepdogs. It happened that after the torture, we heard that the Russians said in the corridor" Zhmur! He died, "he recalls. In fact, witnesses tell about the terrible conditions of keeping in Russian prisons - torture and death.

Employees of different Russian structures - from local protection, to which Russian prisoners are involved, and representatives of the federal punishment service to investigator investigator The Committee allows themselves to mock themselves by following the instructions of their leaders.

According to the results of investigative actions, Ukrainian law enforcement officers have already established managers of various places of detention and declared them suspicion of committing crimes, including military. , which were in the occupation, so in the Russian Federation. Anna Gavrilin, Gramiach village. This is how Alexander Kovalchuk returned to Bucha. However, from about the fall of 2022, this process stopped.

Russia practically stopped returning civilians - in all further exchanges there were only Ukrainian servicemen. And when the process begins again, no one knows, since there is no algorithm for the release of civilians, as well as world experience. Human rights activists emphasize that in order to bring the liberation of every civilian, you need to take steps that could be both innovative and effective.

And not only to rely on the efforts of the coordination headquarters on the management of prisoners of war, which only two years after the start of a full -scale invasion, in March 2024, was authorized to engage in civilians. At the end of February, an international platform was launched for the release of Russian citizens illegally detained by Russia. It was created on the initiative of the Presidential Office.

During this semi -closed event, representatives of state power for the first time stated that the Russian Federation was holding a large number of hostage civilians. Therefore, the goal is to gather around the idea of ​​liberating a coalition of states that would take responsibility to promote negotiations. Canada and Norway have shown their wishes. What they will do is not disclosed. Obviously, the talk process will continue to require silence.

In addition, international partners could introduce a new package of sanctions and criminal prosecution on the principle of universal jurisdiction in different countries against officials of the Russian Federation (if the victim has left, for example, to Germany, he may apply for crimes by Russian servicemen directly to the German prosecutor, and and start the investigation).

The International Criminal Court could issue a third warrant to the arrest of Russian officials who are guilty of violent disappearances of Ukrainian civilian citizens. International lawyers and human rights activists are convinced that when we talk about civilians, it is not just about cases of detention and torture, as individual episodes, but about the global plan of the Russian Federation to persecute the civilian population of Ukraine. And such actions qualify as a crime against humanity.

"When you analyze evidence, you understand that the detention of civilians is the systemic policy of the Russian Federation. Most civilians, in particular in the northern regions - Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, were detained because of disagreement with the full -scale invasion of Russia. As such, which testifies to their disagreement to the Russian occupation.

The detainees of civilians were collected in one, the main place of maintenance in the settlement of the region, together was transported to pre -prepared institutions for keeping in the Russian Federation. And this, in particular, proves that Russia has a planned policy, After all, to accommodate hundreds and thousands of people, it was necessary to prepare in advance, " - says focus analytics of the media initiative for human rights love.

That is, it is not only necessary to investigate all crimes at the national level as every individual episode of crimes, but also to try to establish the whole plan of this attack of the Russian Federation, proving that this detention of civilians was planned operation and politics. It is important to name what resources have been involved in its implementation, who made the decisions that are the command chain, what goals were pursued.