A Series of High-Level Meetings in the United Kingdom
The founder of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, together with a delegation from the 12th Azov Brigade, held a series of high-level meetings in the United Kingdom to draw attention to russian war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war and to advocate for their exchange.
United Kingdom, 2025
On March 3, the delegation took part in a roundtable organized by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. The discussion brought together human rights lawyers, advocacy organizations and government representatives.
Valerii Horishniy, a former prisoner of war, provided personal testimony of russia’s violations of the Geneva Convention. Emphasizing the urgent need to secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the delegation also highlighted the importance of holding russia accountable for war crimes and for the mass execution of Azov fighters in Olenivka.
Later that day, the delegation held a meeting with British parliamentarians at the Palace of Westminster. Among those present were John Whittingdale, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine; Alex Sobel, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine; Brendan O’Hara, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Law, Justice and Accountability; and Alistair Carns, Minister for Veterans Affairs.
The Ukrainian delegation emphasized the systematic nature of russia’s violations of the Geneva Convention and called on the United Kingdom to take a leading role in holding the russian federation accountable for war crimes, as well as to support the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war within the framework of any future peace negotiations.
On March 7, the delegation met with representatives of the ICRC, including Philippe Sperry, Head of the ICRC Mission in the United Kingdom. Valerii Horishniy shared his personal experience of captivity with the organization’s representatives. The Ukrainian delegation called on the ICRC to take more decisive action, in particular to gain access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and to establish mixed medical commissions in russia.
At every meeting, the Ukrainian delegation emphasized to partners that Ukrainian prisoners must be released and that the international community should take more active steps to hold russia accountable.
