Over 120 activists, human rights defenders killed due to Russian aggression

This was reported by the ZMINA Human Rights Center.

ZMINA presented Ukraine’s first memorial report, titled “Losses of Civil Society and Media During Three Years of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine.” The report confirms the deaths of at least 121 activists, volunteers, human rights defenders, and journalists as a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression.

The systematic targeting of civil society representatives by Russia became evident immediately after the liberation of areas in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions, and later in Kharkiv and Kherson regions. According to the ZMINA report, Russian forces searched for individuals using pre-made lists.

To gather and document data, ZMINA relied on verified information from open sources, interviews with family members, colleagues of the deceased, and eyewitnesses.

The organization also collaborated with the Institute of Mass Information, which documents cases of journalist deaths, and the Office of the Prosecutor General, which oversees investigations into war crimes, including the murders of civil society representatives.

“Many deaths of volunteers, activists, and journalists occurred during attacks on civilian objects or infrastructure, where strikes were deliberately aimed at non-military targets. In doing so, Russia repeatedly violated international humanitarian law,” stated ZMINA.

Key causes of death among civil society representatives include artillery shelling, missile strikes, drone attacks on civilian targets, targeted shootings of humanitarian or evacuation vehicles and convoys, extrajudicial executions, torture, and lack of medical assistance in places of illegal detention. Additionally, some were killed by anti-personnel or anti-tank mines during humanitarian missions.

“The losses of civil society due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine are something we are yet to fully comprehend. The war continues, leading to new casualties. Moreover, during active hostilities, it is often difficult to obtain comprehensive and verified data, especially concerning incidents in Russian-occupied territories. Some facts become known only months later, and some remain incomplete or inaccurate,” explains co-author of the report and Chair of the ZMINA Human Rights Center, Tetiana Pechonchyk.

She emphasized the importance of documenting events as they happen because memories of traumatic events can fade or become suppressed over time.

“We prepared this report to honor the people who died defending the values of the free world in this terrible war. We will continue to collect, document, and detail these stories,” added Pechonchyk.

According to the memorial report, 81 civil society representatives and media personnel were killed in 2022, 19 in 2023, and 21 in 2024. Most activists and media workers were killed in Kyiv and Donetsk regions (33 each), followed by Kharkiv (24), Kherson (11), Luhansk (7), Chernihiv (4), Lviv (3), Zaporizhzhia (2), Mykolaiv (2), and one in Russia. The location of one activist’s death remains unknown.