Analytics
The Media Initiative for Human Rights has presented a new extensive study that reconstructs the crimes of Russians against civilians during the occupation of the northern regions of Ukraine. The study proves that the persecution of civilians is not an isolated case of cruelty by Russian soldiers but a systematic, consistent, and purposeful policy of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation.
17 December 2024
During the annual OSCE human rights conference in the Polish capital, MIHR presented a large-scale investigation into how Russia persecutes Ukrainians. This is its second part. It not only describes in detail the crimes committed by the Russian military in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions but also records the places where Ukrainians are held, the ways they are taken to Russia, and the names and military units involved in these crimes.
3 October 2024
As of September 26, 2024, the Unified Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, contains 55,000 records of people missing during the war. As of August 2024, the Register recorded 2,410 unidentified bodies (remains). MIHR has prepared an analytical report on the issues related to the identification of the deceased, how to expedite this process, and what to do if a relative has gone missing in the war.
30 September 2024
Systematic and widespread patterns of arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, filtration, and related crimes against Ukrainian civilians in Russian-controlled territories may constitute crimes against humanity, as revealed by a new report by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and Ukrainian partners, the Media Initiative for Human Rights and the Human Rights Centre ZMINA.
18 July 2024
As of April 12, 2024, the register of missing persons under special circumstances, which operates under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, has more than 36 thousand records of people who went missing during the war. Tens of thousands of families know nothing about the fate of their loved ones. They are neither among the living nor among the dead.
15 May 2024
On March 20, the MIHR presented an analytical study on victims' legal status, experience, and motivation in war crimes cases. This is the first such study in Ukraine. The research consists of a theoretical part about the experience of other countries in working with victims of war crimes, an analysis of national legislation, and a practical part where the team summarizes the experience of victims whose cases are already in courts or under active investigation.
20 March 2024
The purpose of the analysis is to emphasize the improper detention of Ukrainians in Russian captivity and the problems with ensuring their rights and bringing to justice those responsible for torture.
22 February 2024
According to International Humanitarian Law, during an armed conflict, parties to the conflict may take enemy soldiers prisoner. The critical purpose of captivity is to prevent further participation of soldiers in hostilities. At the same time, prisoners of war should be held in decent conditions separately from civilians, and the parties holding them are obliged to comply with the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. However, Russia systematically disregards IHL, and international organizations that are supposed to monitor the conditions of detention of prisoners, such as the ICRC, do not influence it.
21 February 2024
Since February 24, 2022, and to this day, the Russian military, representatives of the Federal Security Service of Russia, and other Russian Federation controlled formations in the occupied territories of Ukraine have illegally detained and continue to detain civilians without cause. These individuals are subjected to torture and held in inadequate conditions. They are not allowed to communicate with their families.
20 February 2024
A case study from human rights organizations documents a series of coercive measures targeting patients and health care personnel in Russian-occupied territories to enforce civilian control.
12 December 2023