- December 15, 2025
- 5:39 pm
- Israel
December 15, 2025 in Tel Aviv at the ANU Museum (Museum of the Jewish People) an international conference “Two Wars – One Freedom” took place, with the central element being the testimonies of former Ukrainian prisoners who survived illegal detention, torture, and inhumane treatment by the Russian Federation. The event was held as part of the visit of the Non-Governmental Organization “Voice of Ukraine” and gathered representatives of the diplomatic corps, Israeli experts, human rights activists, public figures, and the Ukrainian delegation.
The Conference as a Space for Direct Testimonies
The format of the meeting was built around the personal stories of people who went through Russian captivity. The organizers deliberately focused not on general political assessments but on documentary evidence recording systemic violations of international humanitarian law.
The session was opened by the Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevgeny Korniychuk, CEO of NGO Israeli Friends of Ukraine Anna Zharova, and representative of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Yulia Pavlyuk. In their speeches, they emphasized that the issue of Ukrainian prisoners remains one of the most painful and unresolved in the war against Ukraine.
Testimonies of Former Ukrainian Prisoners
The central place in the program was taken by the speeches of former Ukrainian prisoners, whose stories became a direct accusation of the practice of illegal detention of civilians and journalists by the Russian Federation.
Volodymyr Nikolenko
Volodymyr Nikolenko, former mayor of Kherson (2014–2020), was abducted by Russian occupation forces on April 18, 2022 in occupied Kherson after refusing to cooperate with the occupation administration. From April 2022 to August 2025, he was illegally held in Russian captivity for more than three and a half years without official status, access to lawyers, and international observers. During his captivity, Nikolenko was subjected to psychological pressure, isolation, and attempts to force him to cooperate. On August 24, 2025, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Ukraine.
Dmytro Khilyuk
Equally resonant was the speech of Dmytro Khilyuk, a Ukrainian journalist from the UNIAN agency. He was abducted by Russian military forces on March 3, 2022 in the Kyiv region during the occupation of the area. From March 2022 to August 2025, Khilyuk was illegally held in Belarus and the Russian Federation, including in correctional facilities in the Vladimir region. The total duration of his illegal detention was 1,271 days. In his testimony, he spoke about conditions of complete isolation, restricted food, lack of communication with the outside world, and legal protection. On August 24, 2025, Dmytro Khilyuk was released as part of an exchange and returned to Ukraine.
The speeches of both former prisoners served as a reminder that hundreds of Ukrainians still remain in Russian captivity, and the practice of covert detention of civilians and journalists continues to be applied systematically.
Israeli Perspective and Shared Experience of Resisting Terror
A separate block of the conference was an Israeli expert discussion with the participation of the director of AJC Israel Avital Leibovich, lawyer and founder of the initiative October 7 Justice Yael Vias Gvirsman, and executive director of Molad – The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy Ido Dembina.
Participants discussed parallels between the Ukrainian and Israeli experiences of confronting terrorism, issues of international responsibility for war crimes, and the risks of so-called “analytical neutrality,” which effectively dilutes the responsibility of the aggressor.
Freedom and Responsibility
The conference “Two Wars – One Freedom” in Tel Aviv became not only an expert discussion but also a platform for public documentation of facts that are significant for international human rights mechanisms. The testimonies of former Ukrainian prisoners sounded as a reminder of the human dimension of war and the need to continue pressure for the release of all illegally detained Ukrainians.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel expressed gratitude to the ANU Museum, partners, and all participants of the event for supporting Ukraine and maintaining the voice of truth on the international stage.
What is the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is an interdepartmental state body created on March 11, 2022 by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in response to the mass cases of capture of Ukrainian military and civilians during the war.
The main task of the headquarters is the coordination of actions of state structures regarding the release and return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held by the Russian Federation, as well as interaction with their families and informing the public about the measures taken.
The headquarters brings together representatives of key Ukrainian government bodies, including the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights.
The Coordination Headquarters is headed by Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In public and international communication, the headquarters is represented by authorized representatives.
One of them is Yulia Pavlyuk — head of the Central Regional Center of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In this capacity, she works with the families of prisoners, speaks at public and international events, and represents the official position of the headquarters on the release and return of illegally detained Ukrainians.
The conference “Two Wars – One Freedom” in Tel Aviv became not only an expert discussion but also a public documentation of facts significant for international human rights mechanisms. The testimonies of former Ukrainian prisoners reminded that behind diplomatic formulations are specific human destinies, and the issue of releasing illegally detained individuals remains open. It is such stories and contexts — at the intersection of Ukraine, Israel, and global responsibility — that NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency consistently covers, maintaining a focus on the human dimension of war and solidarity.