Public Talk 'Civilians in Captivity: When the Signal Fades'

Conference 13 May 2026, 17:00

Lviv, On May 13 at 17:00, INDEX invites you to an open discussion on Ukrainian civilians held in Russian captivity.

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On May 13 at 17:00, INDEX invites you to an open discussion on Ukrainian civilians held in Russian captivity.

About the Event

The illegal detention of civilians remains one of the most critical yet under-addressed humanitarian issues of the war. Despite thousands of them being held in captivity for years, without legal status or international protection, their situation lacks visibility.

The scale and systematic nature of this phenomenon are still insufficiently recognised at the international level. This is why documentation, public testimony, and creating space for the voices of those affected are essential tools not only for raising awareness, but also for future justice.

At the LMF side event, we will discuss detention mechanisms, the ‘legal vacuum’ of captivity, the role of documentation in advocacy, and the personal experiences of families, whose loved ones' signal faded into silence.

Speakers:

— Maksym Butkevych (Center for Civil Liberties, former prisoner of war)
— Iryna Zaporozhets (NGO ‘Civilians in Captivity’)
— Olesya Yaremchuk (INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange)
— Lyubov Smachylo (The Media Initiative for Human Rights)

Moderated by Sasha Dovzhyk (INDEX).

As part of the event, visitors will be able to experience the VR installation “Immersion into Captivity”, created by the Media Initiative for Human Rights. It presents a composite image of places where Russia unlawfully detains Ukrainian civilians as well as prisoners of war. In virtual reality, visitors can navigate interactive points and read descriptions of what people experience in detention.

The installation is based on drawings by Serhii Ofitserov, a civilian from Kherson abducted by Russia. To avoid losing his sanity, he began documenting everything he saw around him on paper, along with his memories and dreams.

Russia has sentenced Serhii Ofitserov to 17 years of imprisonment on fabricated terrorism charges. Paradoxically, it is precisely because of this fabricated criminal case that he has been able to pass the drawings to his father. This is how the Media Initiative for Human Rights obtained the drawings of the cell. At the time the installation was created, Serhii had spent 2.5 years in Russian detention and remains there to this day.