March 10th of this year marks the one-year anniversary of the sentencing of Ukrainian human rights activist Maksym Butkevych. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The former BBC journalist has been held captive in Russia for the past 20 months. A recent visit by his lawyer and information from Butkevych's parents to the maximum security colony No. 2 in the occupied Luhansk region has given him some optimism. He has finally been allowed to correspond, but only within Russia. Letters from friends have already been sent, but their delivery may take some time.
Maksym reported that he had not received the package from the Ukrainian side, which was planned to be delivered to the prisoners of war on the eve of the New Year holidays. Unfortunately, along with this package, Butkevych also did not receive a letter from his parents. Even after the parcel arrived, the Russian side did not confirm its delivery to the prisoners.
Regarding conditions in the colony, Butkevych was allowed to use the library, which was previously forbidden. His appearance has improved, and his mother says that his diet should also be better.
Next month, on March 13, the Moscow Supreme Court will consider the cassation appeal in Butkevich's case. The parents are once again holding out hope of meeting their son and hoping for his exchange.
“Our main goal is to wait for Maksym's release. We do not lose hope for his return,” emphasizes Yevheniya Butkevych.
Maksym Butkevych decided to join the front at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, despite having no military experience other than studying at a military department, where he received a philosophical education.
In June 2022, he was captured along with his unit in the area of the Russian-occupied Zolote and Hirske points in Luhansk region.
After that, Russian media launched a massive disinformation campaign, calling him a “convinced fascist” and “the main regime saboteur” in Kazakhstan and Belarus. Dozens of Russian websites spread fake news, classifying him as a “militant”, “Nazi”, “propagandist” and “Russophobe”, even accusing him of inciting civil war. He was also called a “British spy” because of his past work at the BBC.
Maksym Butkevych is a well-known human rights activist in Ukraine who has spent decades advocating for human rights and helping hundreds of migrants. His resume includes working for the BBC Ukrainian Service in London, teaching at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and working for the UN.
Colleagues and friends describe him as a pacifist and advocate for migrants who publicly condemned various forms of intolerance and fascism.
Maksym Butkevych has dedicated almost 15 years of his life to the fight for human rights. He was a board member of the Ukrainian branch of Amnesty International and co-founder of the organization “Without Borders”, which actively opposes xenophobia and racism in Ukraine and also provides assistance to displaced persons.
Maksym Butkevych distinguished himself in the fight for the release of Kremlin prisoners, in particular director Oleg Sentsov.
“He fought against discrimination, hate speech, and advocated that Ukraine not expel people to countries where they were in danger. He helped them find refuge here,” says Volodymyr Yavorsky, a lawyer from the Center for Civil Liberties, a friend of Maksym.
According to the version of Russian investigators, in June 2022, Maksym fired an anti-tank grenade launcher at the entrance of a residential building in Severodonetsk, where, according to them, there were two people.
However, according to his mother, his unit was never in Severodonetsk, but fought near Zolote and Girske.
In August 2023, a Moscow court upheld the human rights activist's sentence. After that, Maxim disappeared into the Russian penal system for three months, and neither his family nor his lawyers knew his whereabouts.
It turned out that he was transferred to colony No. 2 in the occupied Luhansk region in the town of Bokovo-Khrustalne (Vakhrushevo). Amnesty International calls Maksym Butkevych's sentence "revenge by the Russian authorities for his human rights activities," and the confession he made, they say, was forced.
