On 20 March, at a public event held as part of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights, together with the Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives (EUCCI), presented the report “From Social Protection to Reparations for Ukraine: Lessons Learned From the Case of Civilian Detainees Under Russia’s Armed Aggression”.

The study is based on more than 500 semi-structured interviews with civilian victims and organisations working to support them, conducted by the Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives from 2014 to 2024.

The authors of the report note that this is the first time that the vision of reparations has been researched and presented not by experts, but by ordinary Ukrainian civilians who have suffered from illegal detainment during the Russian aggression.  They believe that it is important to deliver the opinions expressed by the study participants in their maximum diversity, since the path to balanced and effective decisions on restoring peace and justice lies precisely through a frank exchange of views and a joint search for the best solutions.

The study was presented by Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, Head of EUCCI. It consists of two parts. The first one contains the analysis of Ukrainian state programmes to assist prisoners of war.

“It is good that there are such programmes, but, as the study shows, they clearly need improvement. In our opinion, the main problem is that it is difficult for civilians who have been released outside the framework of official exchanges to prove that they were held captive. Unfortunately, the Commission authorised to establish the fact of deprivation of personal liberty as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine extremely complicates the procedure of proving this fact for former prisoners”, the human rights activist noted.

The second part of the report presents the victims’ own views on future reparations.

“They consider not just financial payments. They want change, both in relations between them and the state and at the international level.”

Former detainees expect the post-war Ukrainian state to be lawful, socially oriented, accountable to its citizens, and free from corruption. A significant number of Ukrainian civilians were deprived of their freedom by the occupiers because they were willing to defend their values and engage in civic activism. People expect their suffering, including deprivation of liberty and torture, to have been worthwhile, and for the values for which they suffered to be realised. .

The victims would also like to see a more just order on the international stage.

Video messages from several survivors were also shown as part of the event.  They called on the diplomats and representatives of international organisations to support the ideas of establishing fair reparations and providing Ukraine with weapons for defence.

“I demand, I ask, I insist on receiving reparations. To construct prisons for the criminals, in particular, the main criminal Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin”, former prisoner Valerii Sokolov emotionally appealed in the video.

Human rights defenders concluded that, given that the Russian Federation has occupied part of Ukraine’s territory, it is impossible for many Ukrainians to restore their rights (particularly property rights). Other victims live in fear of a new occupation. Unless the aggressor is stopped and security guarantees are provided, these people are unlikely to be able to overcome their fear and fully rehabilitate. In practical terms, bringing the majority of perpetrators to justice remains an extremely difficult task while the Russian offensive continues. Therefore, in order to create conditions for the full implementation of reparations, it is important to force Moscow to stop its military aggression.

Following the presentation of the report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Volodymyr Shcherbanchenko  delivered a joint statement on behalf of EUCCI and the international civil society organizations Minority Rights Group and Ceasefire.