On the eve of the Day of the Ukrainian Political Prisoner, marked on January 12, Ihor Kotelyanets, head of the Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, together with Ivan Samoidiuk – a former illegally detained person and First Deputy Mayor of Enerhodar – appeared together on the national telethon United News.

During the conversation, the guests raised the issue of the nature of persecution of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories, the number of Ukrainians illegally held by Russia, and possible ways to secure their return. According to them, this concerns tens of thousands of civilians, while the mechanisms for their release currently remain extremely limited, which makes increased international pressure on Russia essential.

Link to the original Ukrainian broadcast: https://tsn.ua/video/video-novini/skilky-tysiach-tsyvilnykh-ukrayintsiv-utrymuye-rosiia-i-iak-yikh-usikh-zvilnyty.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawPVo2tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe8jZ8sgebXdZUF_rFFQuJOMrsdIQ-UK97CKA7Q1LMLNqe-ND3OxbApkF6AQY_aem_B8WS3M6Ba3YyVU_qQHCTww