«People Are Key!»

A global performance action demanding the release of prisoners of war, illegally imprisoned civilians, political prisoners, and the return of deported Ukrainian children

Human rights organizations have been documenting Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine during its aggressive war from 2014 to the present.

Based on these cases, the official figures are as follows:

16,000+

civilians — missing and illegally detained

12,210

children deported — confirmed cases

8,000+

Ukrainian servicemen confirmed to be held in Russian captivity

1300+

political prisoners held in places of detention in Russia for anti-war views and support for Ukraine

Freeing all the unlawfully detained and the prisoners of war should be an absolute priority. The captives may not last long enough to see the end of the war.

Ukrainian human rights lawyer leading the Center for Civil Liberties, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

An action-performance

Keys are a simple symbol of both freedom and home.

Everyone carries keys in their pocket – except those who are held in captivity. At the same time, people are the highest value of any state. That is why we gather in city squares and jingle our keys together, showing that the time has come to free the Kremlin’s captives.

In 2025, communities in 43 cities across 23 countries worldwide joined the People Are Key action-performance.

The action took place during annual rallies in cities where Ukrainians live around the world, as well as at international professional conferences, film festivals, seminars, and special events demanding the release of prisoners of war and other captives.

How to join?

Invite people who are going to the protest to draw or print posters using the template.

Step 1

Let your community know in advance. You can post in your group chat something like:

“When we start chanting ‘People are key,’ the performance begins. Take the keys out of your pockets and jingle them for at least a few minutes to attract the attention of passersby and the media”.

Step 2

Take your own photos and videos and share them online with the hashtags #People1st #BringPeopleHomeFirst

Jingle your keys loudly and for a long time!

The more people know about the performance, the stronger our call to free those held in captivity will be.

Thank your communities on behalf of the Center for Civil Liberties – it means a lot ❤️

Step 3

Share your photos and videos with us by filling out a short form.

Step 4

together with us

For the media

We invite newsrooms, as well as individual journalists, to help spread information about the conditions of tens of thousands of illegally detained civilians, Ukrainian prisoners of war, political prisoners, and deported Ukrainian children, as well as other war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

If you would like to:

conduct an interview with experts from the Center for Civil Liberties;
report on the experiences of those recently released from captivity;
become an information partner for the People Are Key action-performance – we would be glad to hear from you.

Also you can read the Center for Civil Liberties’ strategy for the release of civilians.