On October 18, human rights defender, military serviceman and co-founder of the ZMINA Human Rights Center Maksym Butkevich returned home from Russian captivity.
Points of attention
- Human rights defender Maksym Butkevich returns home after being released from Russian captivity and an illegal 13-year prison sentence.
- The exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine in the 95-for-95 format through the mediation of the UAE raises questions and concerns.
- Maksym Butkevich was found guilty of serious charges by Russian occupiers, with his verdict deemed illegal and null by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
- The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the 13-year prison sentence for Butkevich, despite international outcry and calls for his release.
- The return of Maksym Butkevich highlights the importance of protecting human rights defenders and the ongoing challenges faced by individuals caught in conflicts.
Human rights defender Butkevich was released from Russian captivity
This was reported by the father of the human rights defender and military serviceman, Oleksandr Butkevich.
According to the father, he received a call from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and informed him that his son had been exchanged and was now in the territory of Ukraine.
Earlier on October 18, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was informed that an exchange of prisoners of war had allegedly taken place between Russia and Ukraine. It was noted there that the exchange was allegedly in the format of 95 for 95 prisoners of war, and took place through the mediation of the UAE.
At the time of writing, the Ukrainian side has not officially confirmed the exchange of prisoners of war.
Maksym Butkevich: what is known
Maksym Butkevich joined the ranks of the AFU in March 2022, and was captured in the summer of the same year.
In March 2023, the Russian occupiers handed down "sentences" to three Ukrainian prisoners of war, among whom was human rights defender Maksym Butkevich. He was found guilty of "cruel treatment of the civilian population and use of prohibited methods in an armed conflict" and "attempted murder of two persons in a generally dangerous manner and intentional damage to other people's property in a generally dangerous manner."
At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the verdicts illegal and null and void.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court of Russia left the sentence of the Ukrainian human rights defender unchanged — he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
