East SOS Team Participates in the Civil Society and Expert Day
An analyst from the East SOS documentation team, Nazar Lutsenko, took part in the Documentation and Accountability panel discussion during the Civil Society and Expert Day.
He highlighted the systemic crimes committed by russia against Ukrainian pupils and educators in the temporarily occupied territories, drawing on findings from the analytical report “Violations of International Humanitarian Law Affecting Education in Ukraine (February 2022 – May 2025)”, presented by East SOS in February this year.
During the event, East SOS also took part in the signing of the Joint Civil Society Statement with priority recommendations for member states of the International Coalition. This document helps shape a unified position of Ukraine and its partners ahead of the upcoming meeting in Brussels.
“russia tries to claim it is fighting ‘narratives’, but in fact it is undermining the very essence of education. We observe that the Ukrainian language is almost completely disappearing from schools in the occupied territories. Yet even under these circumstances, children and young people resist and maintain their identity,” Nazar Lutsenko underlined.
Other speakers included Viktor Lohachov, Deputy Prosecutor General; Mykola Yurlov, Counsellor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Zera Kozlyieva, Legal Director at Truth Hounds; and Oleksii Nabozhniak, OSINT specialist at IDLO Ukraine. The session was moderated by Kateryna Rashevska, Legal Expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights.
Representing East SOS at the event were Kateryna Dorosh, War Crimes Documentation Program Coordinator, and Yuliia Kishchenko, Education Program Manager at East SOS.
The Civil Society and Expert Day was organized within the framework of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children abducted by russia. The event aims to improve policies on return, reintegration, and protection of the rights of Ukrainian children affected by deportation and forced displacement as a result of russia’s armed aggression.
The event brought together around 200 participants, including representatives of state authorities, ambassadors and diplomatic missions of Coalition member states, international donor organizations, OSINT experts, journalists, and other experts.
