Maksym Butkevych, a prominent Ukrainian human rights defender, has been missing since August 22, 2023, after his appeal hearing in a Moscow court. His whereabouts remain unknown, raising serious concerns about his fate and well-being.

Butkevych, a volunteer with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was captured by Russian forces in June 2022. He was subsequently subjected to a sham trial by the so-called “Supreme Court of the Luhansk People’s Republic,” a court established by Russian-backed armed groups in eastern Ukraine.

In March 2023, Butkevych was sentenced to 13 years in prison on fabricated charges. His appeal hearing was held in August, and he was only permitted to attend via video link from a detention center in Luhansk.

Since his appeal hearing, Butkevych has vanished without a trace. His disappearance is consistent with a pattern of enforced disappearances carried out by Russian authorities, who often transfer prisoners to remote locations, far from their families and lawyers, in inhumane and degrading conditions.

Amnesty International has expressed grave concern over Butkevych’s disappearance and called for his immediate release. The organization has also condemned the Russian authorities for their treatment of Butkevych, characterizing his trial as a sham and his detention as an act of enforced disappearance.

The Russian government must disclose Butkevych’s whereabouts, allow him to communicate with his family and lawyer, and drop the fabricated charges against him. His case highlights the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by Russian authorities in Ukraine and the need for international action to protect the rights of prisoners of war and civilians alike.

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International acting Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Director, said:  ”We demand the Russian authorities immediately disclose where he is and allow him to contact his family and his lawyer. (…) This is just the latest in a litany of abuses against Maksym Butkevych since he was taken prisoner of war in June 2022. (…) Depriving a prisoner of war of the right to a fair and regular trial is a war crime. So is enforced disappearance, which is what his current treatment amounts to. The Russian authorities must immediately release him from custody imposed by the so-called supreme court in Luhansk and stop violations of international law and abuse of the rights of prisoners”.