To mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Ministers' Deputies (ambassadors) have held an extraordinary meeting focusing on Ukrainian civilians held prisoner by the authorities of the Russian Federation. At this meeting, a Ukrainian woman who was held in Donetsk pretrial detention centre and released in October 2022 and the daughter of a Ukrainian citizen held in prison shared their moving stories.
During their discussions, the Deputies drew attention to the steps already taken, including the recent appointment of the Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine (see also the Secretary General's report "Three years of Russia's war of aggression - Council of Europe action in support of Ukraine").
They condemned the ongoing practice of forced deportation, illegal adoption and changing the self-identity of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities, and called for their immediate return.
In a series of decisions, the Deputies committed to continuing efforts to secure the release of Ukrainian civilians held captive and called for their immediate and unconditional release. They recalled that international humanitarian law prohibits the capture and holding of civilians as hostages. They committed to hold those responsible for crimes and violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law accountable for their acts.
The Deputies will return to this issue and to the specific measures to be taken to help Ukraine counter the Russian Federation's aggression in the context of the preparation of the next session of the Committee of Ministers (13-14 May 2025, Luxembourg).
In the morning, a ceremony was also held in front of the Palais de l'Europe, attended by Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe (on behalf of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers), Council of Europe Secretary General, Alain Berset, Parliamentary Assembly President, Theodoros Rousopoulos, and Ambassador Borys Tarasyuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe.
Lastly, an exhibition "For the Sake of a Letter" by the Ukrainian artist Olena Morozova was launched. It depicts the lives of civilian prisoners held in Russian prisons through their correspondence with their families.
