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.

Since 2022, we have interviewed 362 witnesses to enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and crimes against civilians, including shelling of civilian infrastructure, occupation appropriation of private property, and illegal deprivation of liberty. As of the end of September 2024, information on 221 civilians who were arbitrarily detained by representatives of the Russian Federation or groups controlled by the aggressor country was found, of which 17 were identified during the processing of testimonies in September 2024.