Family and friends of a prominent Ukrainian human rights campaigner taken prisoner by Russia while fighting in eastern Ukraine have told of their fears for his safety.
Maksym Butkevych, who is well known in Ukraine for several decades' worth of anti-racist and anti-fascist activism, was captured in June near Hirske village in the Luhansk region along with other members of his unit, according to recent Ukrainian media reports.
Butkevych’s capture was announced on 24 June by Russian forces, who published a video of his interrogation online. His mother, Yevheniya, told openDemocracy that she had not heard from her son since.
