Ukraine marks Day of Ukrainian Political Prisoner on Jan 12 – Budanov
Budanov wrote about this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
“Today is the Day of the Ukrainian Political Prisoner. We remember those whom, at different times, they tried to silence – for their love of Ukraine, for the right to think and speak freely. From the imprisonment of Taras Shevchenko by the Russian Empire to Soviet camps for the Ukrainian intelligentsia, repression has been a tool for suppressing freedom. Today, this practice continues in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” the Head of the Office of the President noted.
He emphasized that in Russia the names of regimes change, but the method does not – prison remains an instrument of Moscow’s policy. Ukrainian political prisoners are not persecuted for crimes – they are punished for their identity, for the Ukrainian language, for refusing to accept occupation, and for loyalty to their state.
“Alongside them are thousands of prisoners of war and civilian captives. They are held in inhumane conditions, deprived of contact with their families, abused and tortured. This is part of the same system of fear that Moscow has used against Ukrainians for centuries. Not only do we think of those behind bars today, but also of their families – mothers, wives, children – who wait and believe,” Budanov stressed.
He underscored that Ukraine remembers every political prisoner, fights for every prisoner of war, and will do everything possible to bring them home.
As reported, on October 2, 2025, another prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place, when 185 military personnel and 20 civilians returned home.
On Independence Day, Ukraine succeeded in bringing back from Russian captivity former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko, as well as journalists Mark Kaliush and Dmytro Khyliuk.
January 12 is observed in Ukraine as the Day of the Ukrainian Political Prisoner. This tradition was established in 1975 in the Mordovian prison camps at the initiative of Viacheslav Chornovil, who called for resistance to repression and the brutality of the Soviet regime.
