To draw the world’s attention to this significant issue, we invited former prisoners of war, active Ukrainian military to tell their stories. For two days, they had the opportunity to tell their personal stories of the fear and torture they suffered at the hands of the Russians.

Shocking facts of abuse, torture, forced starvation, lack of water, hellish living conditions, and physical and emotional violence, told by those who survived them, show how vile and cunning Russia, its leaders and its army are.

In particular, during the WSF, POWs met NATO officials – Irene Fellin, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, and Danijel Bajt – representative of the Office of the Secretary-General. Also, they had meetings with Andrew Michta (The Atlantic Council of the United States), Mieczysław (Mietek) Boduszyński, Policy Advisor on Accountability of War Crimes, Office of U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (2022-2023), Braeden Caley, Executive Chair, CANADA 2020, representatives of Leonardo Poland. Additionally, they were interviewed by Ukrainian Radio and Kyiv Independent, NZZ am Sonntag (Germany), Czech Radio, and Polonia 24.

Especially emotional were the moments when military from other countries, different ranks, approached our defenders to express their respect and support.

“For a long time, I did not dare to speak out loud about what I had experienced, because my husband is still in captivity. But now I want to tell my story, to draw attention to the way our enemy treats prisoners, our people. They consider us Nazis who need to be destroyed. They do not consider us human beings,”

— said former prisoner Yana, who spent 4 months in Olenivka colony

She shared that after almost a year at home, she still suffers from consequences:  anxiety, sensitivity to noises and bright lights, and problems with memory. These are the consequences of being in Russian captivity after four months, but what will they be like after 1.5 years? Yana believes that it is essential to draw attention to this topic.

Serhii, a former POW, who spent 9 months in Russians hands, told about torture, beatings, starvation, and abuse of him and other prisoners.

“At first, I doubted whether it was worth talking about this publicly. Thousands of military and civilians are in Russian captivity. Russia systematically violates any rules of war and the Geneva Convention. These people are deprived of the right to defense, and the right to medical care, they are not fed, they are abused morally and physically, and they are not allowed to communicate with their families.”

— he said.

According to Serhii, unlike Russians who are held captive by Ukrainians, Ukrainian prisoners have no rights, cannot contact their loved ones, and suffer from constant humiliation. 

“Russia does not treat them as human beings because it does not consider Ukrainians human beings.  I can talk about this because I experienced it myself and my brothers experienced it. I hope that my story will help draw attention to the problem of prisoners of war and how they are treated by our enemies.”

— he added.

Last year, ICUV invited to the WSF a volunteer and paramedic, former russian prisoner Julia (Tayra) Paevska, and the relatives of the Azov regiment soldiers in captivity.

While former prisoners of war are recovering from their injuries and trying to rebuild their lives, thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are still in Russian captivity, without a voice or defense. 

We sincerely hope that the international community will not ignore these war crimes and these problems and will actively advocate for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war. 

The advocacy visit of former POWs, the active Ukrainian Military to the Warsaw Security Forum was held by ICUV together with NGO Voyatsky Vyzvil.