THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Ukrainian non-governmental organizations that care about civilian prisoners have published an open appeal to the authorities with a call to make the issue of releasing civilians illegally detained by russia one of the state priorities and to increase international pressure on the russian federation.
This was reported by ZMINA with reference to a member of the Free Civilians NGO and the wife of illegally imprisoned Serhii Tsyhipa – Olena Tsyhipa.
NGOs that protect the rights of Ukrainian civilian prisoners have published an open appeal to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Office of the President and the Human Rights Ombudsman with a call to intensify work on the release of Ukrainian civilians illegally detained by russia.
The appeal was signed by the Free Civilians NGO, Our Most Beloved NGO, Liberta NGO, Path of the Free NGO, Civil Prisoners NGO, Free to Live NGO, Svitiachy Inshym, Zhorayu Sam NGO, Ukrainian Movement Return Freedom NGO and the Center for Democracy Development.
The authors of the statement emphasized that thousands of Ukrainian civilians are in russian prisons, colonies and places of detention on the territory of the russian federation and in the occupied territories. According to them, many of them are persecuted because of their pro-Ukrainian position, civic activism or resistance to the occupation.
“These people are civilian citizens of Ukraine. They have become victims of systemic repressions, political persecution, torture and violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. Today they need not only support, but also decisive and consistent action from their own state,” the appeal states.
The organizations called on the Ukrainian authorities to make the issue of releasing civilian prisoners one of the state priorities, to increase international pressure on the russian federation, and to intensify diplomatic and information work for the return of illegally detained citizens.
The appeal also addresses the need for legal and humanitarian support for civilian prisoners and support for their families.
“We call on the state authorities of Ukraine to fulfill their constitutional duty – to protect the citizens of Ukraine, wherever they are, and to make every possible effort to release every illegally detained civilian,” the authors of the appeal said.
The statement was published on the Constitution Day of Ukraine. Representatives of the organizations emphasized that the state must ensure the protection of the rights of its citizens and make efforts to release every illegally detained Ukrainian.
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The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) considers the issue of releasing civilian prisoners as part of broader struggle for freedom of speech, human rights and protection of Ukrainians illegally detained by russia. According to the NUJU, as of May 20, 2026, at least 28 civilian media workers are in russian captivity; the Union calls on the international community to increase pressure on the russian federation, and the Ukrainian authorities to activate diplomatic and negotiation mechanisms for their release.
A separate area of NUJU’s work is the legal analysis and systematization of the problems faced by the families of civilian prisoners. In 2025, the Union, with the support of the International Commission on Missing Persons, conducted a study among 94 families: 75% do not know where their relatives are, 60% do not receive official information, 45% do not feel supported by the state. Based on this, the NUJU proposes legislative changes, the creation of a single coordination center, legal and psychological support for families, as well as increased international pressure on russia.
The NUJU also works to stories of civilian prisoners have not disappeared from the public space. The Union collects testimonies from relatives, authorities and eyewitnesses, organizes advocacy events and trainings for journalists on ethical coverage of the topic of illegally detained civilians, deprived of their liberty and missing persons. The goal of this work is to support families, increase public awareness and influence the decisions of Ukrainian and international institutions.
An important human face of this struggle is Olena Tsyhipa, the wife of journalist and public activist Serhii Tsyhipa from Nova Kakhovka. The NUJU says that for years she has been fighting for the release of her husband, who was kidnapped by russian occupiers on March 12, 2022, and later sentenced to 13 years in prison on trumped-up charges of “espionage”. Olena Tsyhipa is actively involved in international advocacy.
The NUJU emphasizes that russia’s capture of civilians is not an isolated incident, but a systemic phenomenon. That is why the Union combines journalistic coverage, legal analysis, documentation of crimes, support for families, and international advocacy to ensure that the names of civilian prisoners are heard in Ukraine and abroad until they return home.
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