Advice from human rights activists: how to help relatives or acquaintances who have been captured

In the undeclared war against Ukraine, our servicemen are still dying, getting injured, and being taken prisoner. However, you should not engage in “independent activities” and go to liberate your relatives in a territory not controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. You can act and help your relatives and friends who have been taken prisoner directly where you are – carefully, but persistently and consistently. Below is an algorithm of actions, advice, and contacts.

Today, according to official data, more than 130 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine remain in captivity, about 250 are missing in the ATO zone. There are also those who have been illegally held since the summer of 2014. However, the problem of releasing servicemen from captivity is quite complex and depends on many factors, and therefore is solved at the level of authorized persons.

Sobriety in actions and faith in victory

So, first of all, it is necessary to understand that such issues are not resolved quickly, and therefore it is useless to wait for the serviceman to be released tomorrow. All interviews given to the press will not help, because the serviceman can be held captive by any group, and it is not known whether there are Ukrainian media in that territory. In addition, such actions can only “increase the significance” of this or that prisoner. That is why moderation in actions and faith in victory are needed here.

Usually, information about soldiers being captured comes from them themselves, if they are given the opportunity to contact their relatives, or by transmitting videos, stories on Russian television, through other media, social networks to the Ukrainian side. In such a case, it is necessary to react immediately and seek legal assistance.

Where to go and what to do

The first thing to do is to contact the nearest department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a statement about the kidnapping of a person. Such a statement is accepted by the duty officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Important! Refusal to accept such a statement is illegal. In case of refusal, you can call 102 and complain about the inaction of the police, demanding that the statement be accepted. Along with the statement, it is necessary to provide a photo of the prisoner.

After submitting the application, you must be issued a notification coupon – this is important evidence of your application for protection.

If the missing person is a serviceman, such an application must also be submitted to the military prosecutor’s office (keep the second copy for yourself).

In addition, it is necessary to immediately send a telegram to the SBU to the address: Kyiv, Volodymyrska St., 33. In the telegram, indicate who, where, when, and under what circumstances was captured. Also, report the military rank, position, military unit number, and location of the serviceman’s deployment in the ATO zone.

All these actions are necessary primarily for planning an operation to release prisoners by authorized persons.

In such a difficult situation, one of the ways of protection is also to apply to the European Court of Human Rights with a statement about the violation of the rights to liberty and personal integrity, the right to effective protection by state authorities (Articles 3, 5 and 13 of the European Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms). It is this opportunity that gives relatives a chance that their son, husband, father, brother or loved one will return home.

Who can help: addresses and telephone numbers

In the event of capture of Ukrainian military personnel, both military and civilian, you can contact lawyers and receive free legal assistance to the relatives of the prisoners in order to release them from captivity:

Prisoners of War UA Project

postal address: P.O. Box 100, Kyiv, 04071 – UHHRU

tel./fax: (044) 4174118

mob. 063-36-00-911; 050-947-55-64;

E-mail: pwua2014 @ gmail.com

Attention! If you do not know where a serviceman is, the following independent searches for his whereabouts are possible, because situations vary:

I. Telephone book for search:

1) Department for Missing Persons – 044-454-73-15;

2) 25th Brigade (person engaged in the search and collection of data on missing persons) – 093-216-05-49;

3) Information Center for the Release of Prisoners – 044-454-73-03;

4) Military Hospital in Dnipropetrovsk – 056-745-22-56

5) Military Hospital in Kharkiv – 057-702-17-97;

6) DPR Hotline – 099-536-87-28; 099-458-71-34;

7) Ministry of Defense Hotline – 044-253-04-71;

8) Dnipropetrovsk Prisoners of War Release Center – 097-07-07-14

9) Department for the Wounded – 044-52-00-764

10) Volodymyr Ruban (Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration I. Kolomoisky), helps release prisoners – 067-405-26-25

11) SBU -044-288-50-29

12) SBU Department in Dnipropetrovsk – 056-744-85-19

13) Department for the Wounded and Killed – 056-756-97-75

14) Military Prosecutor’s Office of the Dnipropetrovsk Garrison – for complaints about the lack of information about the dead or missing – 093-790-21-16;

15) DPR telephone number for searching for prisoners – 093-445-90-93

II. Volunteers:

1) – search and removal of dead soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who remained in the uncontrolled territory of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

2) – Tetyana Rychkova, volunteer of the 25th brigade

3) – Prisoner Release Center

4) Officer Corps group.

And most importantly – do not lose hope, situations are different: a serviceman may be in a hospital on territory not controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, lose his memory, lose his documents, be in captivity as an “unrecognized person”. Believe in the best – and immediately seek help from lawyers.

Consultations for servicemen are carried out with the support of the project “Improving the level of legal protection of servicemen, ATO participants and their family members, through the provision of legal assistance and monitoring” in the Kherson, Volyn, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.

Natalia Piddubna, Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

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