08 February 2025
February 8 – Birthday of Volodymyr Balukh, Ukrainian Civic Activist and Political Prisoner
On February 8, 1971, in the village of Serebrianka, Perekop District of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Volodymyr Balukh was born—a Ukrainian civic activist, farmer, and political prisoner who faced persecution by the occupation administrations in Crimea for his unwavering pro-Ukrainian stance.
Volodymyr completed his education at the local school and later enrolled at the Agrarian University in Simferopol. After graduation, he worked as an engineer at a local collective farm and cultivated agricultural crops on his own land plots. Throughout his life, he remained devoted to agriculture, managing his own farm and staying deeply connected to his homeland.
After Russia’s occupation, the so-called “referendum,” and the beginning of the forced passportization process, Volodymyr Balukh demonstratively refused Russian citizenship. Between 2014 and 2016, he actively engaged in civic activism, organizing protests against the occupation administration and assisting displaced persons from Crimea. He also openly cooperated with human rights organizations, providing information about human rights violations on the occupied peninsula.
Due to his unwavering civic stance, Balukh became a target of the Russian occupiers. Since December 2013, a Ukrainian flag had been flying at his homestead. The occupation administrations forcibly removed it twice. The first time was on April 30, 2015, after which Balukh was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. In 2016, he was arrested again after he once more raised the Ukrainian flag on the roof of his house and attached a plaque reading “Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Street.”
The formal pretext for his arrest was the alleged possession of ammunition, which had been planted during a search of his home. In December 2016, during a raid, the occupiers claimed to have “found” 69 Kalashnikov cartridges, 19 shell casings, and five TNT blocks in his house. As a result, Volodymyr Balukh was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison. In his final statement before the so-called “court,” the activist declared: “I do not want my descendants, the children of all Ukraine, to ever reproach me for showing cowardice or weakness.”
During his imprisonment, Balukh was repeatedly subjected to cruel treatment and torture. He also went on a hunger strike in protest against political repression. His case gained significant international attention, with human rights organizations from various countries demanding his release.
On December 22, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine, titled “Situation of Human Rights in the Temporarily Occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine.”
Among the key provisions of the resolution were the recognition of Oleh Sentsov, Volodymyr Balukh, and Emir-Usein Kuku as political prisoners; condemnation of the Russian Federation for forcibly imposing Russian citizenship on Crimean residents; and denunciation of politically motivated persecution against Ukrainian citizens. The UN General Assembly also called on Russia to release all Ukrainians unlawfully detained in Crimea and the Russian Federation.
On September 7, 2019, Volodymyr Balukh was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. After returning to Ukraine, he continued his civic activism, participated in patriotic events, and supported former political prisoners. Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, he joined the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Balukh is a man who courageously defended his beliefs despite facing repression. His story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of the struggle for freedom and justice. Today, he remains one of the most striking examples of Ukrainian resilience.