HUMAN RIGHTS ARE NOT AN ABSTRACTION, BUT SOMETHING THAT DRIVES OUR LIVES 

The year 2024 was full of challenges, tragedies, hopes and hard work for Ukrainians. 

Over the course of the year, almost 22,000 air raid alarms were sounded in Ukraine, and Russia attacked Ukrainians with more than 12,500 missiles and drones. 

Every life taken by the enemy is a tragedy for the whole of Ukraine and a slap in the face to the global security system and international humanitarian law. 

The policy of appeasement of the aggressor only leads to new large scale crimes, which the world has been witnessing since 2014, when the Russian-Ukrainian war began. However, even in such circumstances, Ukrainians continue to believe, dream and act for a just peace. Ukrainians continue to be strong. 

The past year has once again reminded us that human rights are not an abstraction, but something that drives our lives: from everyday activities to the ability to live without fear.

The deportation of children is one of the signs of genocide committed by Russia against Ukrainians. It is officially recorded that 19,546 Ukrainian children have been deported and forcibly displaced by Russia. The true number of such cases may be much higher. Children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are at constant risk of deportation and forcible russification.

Russia has been illegally abducting and imprisoning Ukrainian civilians since 2014. More than 16,000 people are missing as a result of Russia’s armed aggression. More than 1,700 civilians have been verified as being held in Russian detention facilities. Russia is torturing civilians, subjecting them to violence, denying them access to medical care and keeping them in inadequate conditions. 

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is investigating criminal proceedings related to the executions of 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war, 109 of whom were executed in 2024 (as of 22 November 2024). These actions are a violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualify as an international crime. After each known case of execution, the Ombudsman of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, sends letters to the UN and ICRC to record these violations.

Ukraine carefully documents every crime and every atrocity. All those responsible will undoubtedly be punished.

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