The Ukrainian project “I want to live” will help political prisoners from Russia

The Ukrainian state project “I want to live”, the primary goal of which is to help Russian servicemen willing to surrender voluntarily, has announced assistance to Russian political prisoners who have been persecuted for their anti-war stance or support for Ukraine.

Relatives of repressed people who want to free their loved ones from Russian colonies and pre-trial detention centers are invited to write to the project’s e-mail address. Its creators plan to initiate the transfer of political prisoners to Ukraine through the exchange procedure or “other methods” with the subsequent possibility of providing political asylum. They also promise “legal support” when solving issues related to leaving Russia.

• After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities began to persecute citizens for anti-war speeches and statements. According to the human rights project “OVD-Info”, more than 20 thousand Russians were detained for their anti-war stance. In March 2022, Russia introduced laws on criminal and administrative liability for so-called fakes about the Russian army and discrediting its actions. The Russian authorities consider any point of view different from the position of the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense of Russia to be fakes and discrediting. According to these articles, the authorities have already initiated almost seven hundred criminal cases. Dozens of citizens were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.