Statement of the Human Rights Agency West Support Regarding the Attack on Its Staff in Ukraine

On January 10, an incident occurred in Ukraine that the human rights agency West Support considers a deliberate act of intimidation and an attack against members of an international human rights agency, directly related to their professional activities.

On that day, three servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who identified themselves as representatives of Ukrainian counterintelligence, carried out an assault on two employees of West Support. One of the victims is a citizen of the United States of America and the Head of the Special Monitoring Mission of West Support in Ukraine, Sergey Nevstruyev, who was engaged in documenting war crimes and investigating human rights violations in Ukraine.

The attack involved the use of a firearm, physical violence, and direct threats. During the assault, the victim was explicitly told to “leave Ukraine” and “stop his activities in the country.” Following the beating, the attackers conducted an illegal search of the victim’s residence, seizing documents, communication devices, and materials related to the agency’s human rights work.

Law enforcement authorities were called to the scene by a witness. However, despite the gravity of the incident, the servicemen were not detained, no proper procedural actions were taken, and they were subsequently released.

West Support notes that this is not the first instance of pressure or persecution against its representatives in Ukraine. Over the past months, the agency’s staff have repeatedly faced harassment, intimidation, and interference in their professional activities, including the fabrication of criminal cases by certain representatives of Ukrainian law enforcement bodies. The current assault marks a dangerous escalation—from administrative pressure and threats to direct physical violence against human rights defenders.

The human rights agency West Support regards this incident as a grave violation of the right to safety and protection of human rights defenders, as well as an attempt to obstruct independent international human rights work. The inaction of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for protecting human rights and ensuring the safety of foreign nationals in Ukraine.

The agency West Support declares that it will not suspend its activities, will continue documenting human rights violations, and will seek an international legal assessment of this incident through the appropriate international institutions.