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Ladies and gentlemen! I am glad to welcome you all in this format, and this is t...

We all see, in particular, how little world responds to what is done in Russia with Ukrainian prisoners - the President's address to the human rights community

Ladies and gentlemen! I am glad to welcome you all in this format, and this is the third time when in Kiev in early December - a conference dedicated to human rights work. It is really important to discuss the effectiveness of human rights institutions - those who work in state systems or at the interstate level. Public human rights institutions are usually more efficient or at least honest than those created by states or operating with state systems.

And often at the official level, at the level of international organizations, there is such a lack of reaction even to the most flashy cases of human rights violations, and especially during the war that it all causes only, unfortunately, disappointment. We all see, in particular, how little the world responds to what is being done with Ukrainian prisoners in Russia. As there are few voices in the world that speak of Russian children stolen by Russia.

There is almost no reaction to what Russian presence has transformed our lands, our territories, which are temporarily occupied. When some now talk about the "freezing" of war, almost never sounds: what happens to millions of our people, what will happen to hundreds of thousands of children, which are still in the occupied territory? And this is a very cynical silence.

Unfortunately, it is necessary to state that even the most large -scale Russian crimes of war are gradually forgotten by many in the world and in Europe. They are forgotten at the political levels, at the level of those who could make decisions or be active to correct everything. And this is a challenge not only for us. It conducts the moral foundations of the democratic world.

If Russia can be so with Ukrainians, then it will be perceived as permission to do similar to other peoples and other people. We are still forced to actually fight for the creation of a special tribunal against Russia for the crime of aggression. I am grateful to every state and all the officials who help. But more such work is necessary for the tribunal to work and become truly effective.

I am grateful to those states, leaders, public organizations who have become involved in the return of stolen Ukrainian children. We value any effective partners' involvement. And it is necessary for the majority of the world to be on our side in this work and that the deportation and theft of children never become the norm in the world.

Do we now receive help from organizations such as, say, the UN or the International Committee of the Red Cross in the protection and return of Ukrainian captives in Russia? In fact, no. Recently, it became known that in the Russian captivity the mayor of one of the occupied Ukrainian cities - the mayor of Dniproudny, in Zaporozhye Yevgeny Matveev. He was captured in March 22, when he tried to help people in his community.

There are also at least six mayors of cities and community heads in the Russian captivity. They are among thousands of Ukrainians who are not guilty of anything, but for years in captivity. And not only from the age of 22. But since 2014. We do our best to get them back. 3767 Ukrainians and Ukrainian women have already been returned from captivity. We attract intermediaries for this. We are looking for various negotiation, political and legal capabilities.

And we believe that a crime is not only that so many people are held in captivity, bullied by them, but also that many in the world still do not make every effort to stop this crime, return people and punish Russia and punish Russia for Everything brought her war. Ladies and gentlemen! And especially - representatives of state systems, interstate associations.

I thank all those who are already with Ukraine in their work for the protection of people's rights and full restoration of peace for Ukraine. I ask you to be tireless and involve in all this work those who are still aside. States, international organizations, leaders, political communities and religious associations. All who can be useful to save people and provide the rule of morality over all that Russia and its accomplices do.