Prisoners

You are invited to a screening of the film “Prisoners” in Tartu. This is a film about Ukrainian civilian prisoners who were captured by Russian security forces in the occupied territories. The reasons for detention can be anything — from a photo of Russian military equipment or a Ukrainian flag on a phone to simply speaking the Ukrainian language.

According to Ukrainian human rights activists, at least 15,000 Ukrainian civilian prisoners are currently being held in Russian prisons. This number is several times higher than the total number of officially recognized political prisoners in Russia. No one knows how many thousands of Ukrainian civilians remain in torture prisons in the occupied territories. These people usually disappear after being detained, and even their close relatives may not know their fate for years.

Sometimes, they reappear in Russian propaganda videos — broken, bearing signs of torture, and forced to confess to the most absurd accusations. But over time, the truth comes to light — and it is shocking. The first episode of the film focuses on three stories, told by the relatives of Ukrainian civilian prisoners:a mother whose son was taken by the FSB, a wife whose husband was taken away, and a young woman left without both parents by the Russian occupation. 

The second episode explores how the System of Terror works — what happens to people after they are abducted, what they are forced to endure, and whether there is any chance of escape. Beatings, torture, complete isolation from the outside world, no contact with family or lawyers, years spent in basements and prisons without trial or investigation — and sometimes show trials based on fabricated charges of “terrorism” or “espionage.”

The films will be shown in Russian with English subtitles.
After the screening, there will be an opportunity to write letters to Ukrainian prisoners.