On 17–18 March 2026, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine, representatives of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine visited the Swiss Confederation.
The delegation included Hennadii Kharchenko, a defender of Mariupol and former prisoner of war released from Russian captivity, as well as his fellow serviceman Nestor Barchuk, who is engaged in international communication and advocacy activities aimed at informing the international community about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian disinformation, and systematic violations by the Russian Federation of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
On 17 March 2026, the representatives of the brigade participated in the Ukraine Forum at the Swiss Parliament. Within the framework of the event, they took part in a thematic panel discussion on the security situation in Ukraine, as well as the humanitarian aspects of the war, including the conditions of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war and the need to strengthen international efforts for their release and for ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law.
On 18 March 2026, with the participation of representatives of the Embassy and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine in Geneva, the delegation held a series of meetings with international humanitarian organizations in Geneva. In particular, meetings took place at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as at the United Nations headquarters with representatives of leading human rights organizations, including the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF), and the International Bar Association (IBA).
During the meetings, the Ukrainian side emphasized the systematic violations by the Russian Federation of international humanitarian law, in particular regarding the conditions of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the importance of ensuring unimpeded access of international organizations to places of detention, and the need to intensify international efforts for their prompt release.
It was also stressed that such actions by the aggressor undermine global trust in international humanitarian law and its mechanisms, making consolidated international efforts critically important to restore respect for the Geneva Conventions and to ensure their full compliance.
The Embassy of Ukraine in the Swiss Confederation underscores the importance of maintaining attention to the issue of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and emphasizes the need to intensify international efforts aimed at restoring trust in international humanitarian law and ensuring strict adherence to the Geneva Conventions as a fundamental framework for the protection of human rights in armed conflicts.