30 Ukrainian, Russian, and international public and human rights organizations, including the International Memorial Association «Memorial»*, have announced the launch of the People First campaign, aimed at the release of all prisoners of war in Russia's war against Ukraine.
In 2025, peace talks are expected to begin between Ukraine, Russia, and representatives of the international community. The campaign is primarily addressed to the new American administration along with international organizations and states involved in the negotiations or having the ability to influence their outcomes.
According to human rights activists, the most important priority of the agreements reached as a result of the negotiations should be the release of all detained civilians — both adults and children, without any conditions. These include civilians captured and detained by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine, and those who were captured in these territories and forcibly transferred to Russia, where they are in places of detention. The campaign also calls for the swiftest possible release and return home of all prisoners of war.
Currently, thousands of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war are in detention, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly moved or deported to Russia, and hundreds of Russian political prisoners are deprived of freedom for protesting against the war, as noted in the message on the campaign's official website.
According to the campaign's initiators, an independent international mechanism should be created to coordinate these processes, monitor their compliance with international humanitarian law norms, and provide regular and transparent reports on the progress made, including regular information on the release of prisoners and adherence to humanitarian standards.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent».