In the foreseeable future, negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and representatives of the international community, which could lead to an end to the armed conflict, cannot be ruled out. In this context, the initiators of the “People First” campaign, which are representatives of Ukrainian and Russian civil society, are striving to promote a clear message: people must come first! While a political settlement will be a complex and multifaceted process that may require years of negotiations, the situation of those forcibly imprisoned is extremely urgent and requires an immediate solution. The highest priority of diplomatic efforts and agreements reached should therefore be the release of all persons deprived of their liberty as a result of the armed conflict.

“Tens of millions of people have already become victims of the terrible consequences of war. Much of what the war took, especially human lives, cannot be returned. It is all the more important to repair what can be repaired. First of all, this means returning freedom to those who lost it because of the war,” said Oleg Orlov, a former political prisoner, one of the initiators of the “People First” campaign and co-chairman of the Memorial Human Rights Center, with which Gulag.cz closely cooperates.

“During the war years, I spoke to many survivors of Russian captivity who told me how they and other prisoners were beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and raped. They described how their nails were torn out, their knees crushed. They told of being denied food and sleep, and that the dying had no access to medical care. The release of all illegally detained persons and the exchange of all prisoners of war should be an absolute priority,” says Ukrainian initiator of the “People First” appeal Oleksandra Matviychuk from the Center for Civil Liberties, which, together with the Russian Memorial and Belarusian dissident Ales Byalyatsky, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

The organization Gulag.cz has long been monitoring the cases of men and women unjustly persecuted and imprisoned by the Russian regime. Their fates are brought closer to the Czech public through workshops on writing letters of support, regular monitoring and publishing details of individual cases, and also through exhibitions and discussions. By joining the “People First” campaign, Gulag.cz wants to emphasize the situation of Russian political prisoners in the Czech environment even more and strive to support the initiative at the level of state representatives and other interested parties.

Currently, the public can learn about the specific fates of Russian political prisoners through the outdoor exhibition Putin's Cage, which will be on display in Opava until the end of July, then in Kopřivnice from August 1 to 20, 2025, followed by stops in Příbor, Olomouc and other places. The Gulag.cz website also provides interested parties with online instructions for writing letters of support for Russian political prisoners with case studies of individual cases, including regular reports on current events in Russia. In the fall, the organization plans further activities to support the “People First” initiative and the political prisoners themselves.

In addition, in early July 2025, Russian political prisoners themselves wrote an open letter to world leaders, in which they also demand that efforts be made to release all those unjustly imprisoned as a result of Russian aggression. They also draw attention to the inhumane conditions that political prisoners in Russia have to face. This appeal was also supported by dozens of Czech Chartists and former political prisoners in an appeal addressed to representatives of the Czech state in mid-July 2025.

The international campaign "People First", which demands the release of Russian political prisoners along with the release of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, was launched in January 2025. The main initiators include the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties and the International Association Memorial. Dozens of other human rights organizations around the world have joined it. The full text of the appeal in Czech is available on the website Gulag.cz. Further information is available on the website People First.