Since 2022, we have interviewed 462 witnesses of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and crimes against the civilian population, including shelling of civilian infrastructure, appropriation of private property by the occupiers, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. As of the end of February 2025, information has been found on 310 civilians who were arbitrarily detained by representatives of the Russian Federation or groups controlled by the aggressor country, 22 of whom were identified during the processing of testimonies in February 2025.

The NGO “Association of Relatives of the Kremlin’s Political Prisoners” publishes an analytical report prepared based on the results of a public review of the activities of the Commission for Establishing the Fact of Deprivation of Personal Liberty as a Result of Armed Aggression against Ukraine. The report systematizes the regulatory framework governing the Commission’s work, analyzes its administrative practice, and identifies key shortcomings in decision-making procedures and in victims’ access to social guarantees. Particular attention is paid to issues related to the burden of proof, the determination of the political motive of persecution, and the safeguarding of applicants’ right to be heard. Based on a legal analysis, a review of the Commission’s decisions, and surveys of affected individuals, the report formulates recommendations aimed at improving the regulatory framework, institutional capacity, and procedural fairness in order to strengthen state support for victims of unlawful deprivation of liberty.