Dmytro Lubinets

Our mandate remains unchanged: to protect human and fundamental rights. Yet the scale and nature of the violations we are facing have fundamentally changed our work. Today, our office documents violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. It monitors the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. It receives and responds to complaints from Ukrainians both in Ukraine and abroad.

It advocates for the return of deported and forcibly displaced Ukrainian children. Our team is directly involved in the programme for the rehabilitation and reintegration of Ukrainian children after their return home. It works with international institutions to ensure accountability. It also provides support to war victims and their families. At the same time, we act as an intermediary between the people and the state, ensuring that human dignity remains the highest priority even in times of war.

The human rights situation in Ukraine remains extremely serious. We are witnessing systematic and widespread violations by the Russian Federation. This includes the unlawful detention of civilians and prisoners of war, torture and ill-treatment in places of detention, the forcible abduction of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories, the forced deportation and transfer of children and the restriction of fundamental freedoms across Ukraine.

These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader pattern. And this pattern requires a clear and consistent response. At the same time, we must speak about peace. For Ukraine, peace does not simply mean the absence of war. Peace without justice is fragile. Peace without accountability is short-lived.

Peace without human rights is no peace at all. In this context, Europe and the international community have an important role to play. Europe has long been a space in which human rights are protected by law, institutions and shared values.