Physical and psychological consequences, difficulties with social adaptation, lack of systemic support and long-term assistance — for people who have endured Russian torture rooms and prisons, the path back to ordinary life often becomes a new ordeal that is no less challenging. This is especially true for civilian captives who, to this day, remain outside the system and, unlike military personnel, often have no guarantees of receiving help.

To support Ukrainians and contribute to building a system truly capable of protecting their rights, during the 22nd Travelling Docudays UA we, together with the Principle of Hope charity foundation, are launching a fundraiser for the rehabilitation of those released from Russian captivity. The founder and co-coordinator of the foundation is the festival ambassador, Ukrainian human rights advocate and journalist, and a veteran released from Russian captivity Maksym Butkevych, who was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Council of Europe on 29 September 2025. Today, Maksym is one of the most powerful Ukrainian voices in the world. He focuses his efforts primarily on advocating for the release of unlawfully imprisoned civilians and defending the rights of prisoners of war.

The charity fundraiser will continue throughout the festival, from 1 October until 30 November. The Principle of Hope foundation will be able to use the raised funding for one or several of the following purposes:

• purchasing inclusive equipment for rehabilitation centres;

• teaching and training staff to work with state-of-the-art equipment at rehabilitation facilities;

• medical care and psychological support for civilians and military personnel.

You can contribute to the charity initiative at all regional events of the Travelling Docudays UA, and moderators and regional coordinators will inform audiences about it. You can also support the fundraiser online, using the QR code on our website pages and on the Travelling Festival’s Facebook page, or using a direct link to the dedicated bank account:

https://irc.privatbank.ua/qrstickws/route/qr?type=nextfastpay¶ms=%7B%22token%22:%2251b2f399-f06a-40f4-a75e-fb71f5eb2ecc%22%7D

Following the results of the fundraiser, we will publish a report on the use of funds provided by the Principle of Hope foundation.

Support the fundraiser with a donation or by spreading the word — every contribution is valuable!

The Principle of Hope Charity Foundation is a human rights organisation established during Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, focusing in particular on supporting prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians released from captivity, as well as military personnel, veterans, internally displaced persons, people in temporarily occupied territories, and others affected by the war. It also seeks to safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms for every individual, regardless of origin, citizenship, migration status, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or affiliation with other groups discriminated against in today’s society.