The State of Human Rights in Wartime Ukraine

The war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has transformed every dimension of Ukrainian life. It has also posed extraordinary challenges for the protection of human rights, as a democratic society attempts to uphold legality and liberty while fighting for national survival. The result is a complex and often contradictory human rights landscape: one where Ukraine remains far freer than her aggressor, yet where the exigencies of war have inevitably strained civil norms.

Occupation, Atrocity and the Baseline of Comparison

Any assessment must begin with the horrors inflicted by Russia’s invasion. The human rights abuses in occupied territories—documented by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and countless journalists—are systematic and severe. They include arbitrary detention, torture, deportations, sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, and the deliberate targeting of civilian populations. The very existence of the war is itself a gross violation of the fundamental right to life, peace, and self-determination of the Ukrainian people. Against this backdrop, Ukrainian infractions must be understood not as moral equivalences but as the difficulties of maintaining liberal values under existential threat.

Martial Law and Democratic Constraint

Ukraine has been under martial law since 24 February 2022. This framework allows the government to suspend certain civil rights in the name of national defence: freedom of movement, certain labour rights, and even the right to protest are curtailed. The state justifies these measures as necessary to prevent panic, maintain order, and direct resources toward victory. Yet this legal environment has reduced civic space and constrained opposition voices. Independent journalists and activists still operate, but they do so under pressures rarely seen in peacetime. Ukrainian media has remained surprisingly pluralistic, although subject to wartime coordination and the merging of television channels into a single government-supervised news network.

Freedom of Speech and the Security Dilemma

The Ukrainian authorities face a difficult dilemma between national security and free expression. Russian disinformation campaigns are pervasive, exploiting open societies to spread propaganda and confusion. Kyiv’s response—tightening control over certain information channels and banning pro-Russian political parties—has been criticised by some observers as excessive. Yet in a war of survival, such measures are often viewed domestically as defensive, not authoritarian. Still, civil libertarians argue that the line between security and censorship must be vigilantly monitored to prevent wartime necessity from eroding post-war democracy.

Conscription, Conscience, and Civil Rights

Ukraine’s mobilisation policies have raised difficult human rights questions. Men between 22 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country, and military conscription is mandatory between 27 and 60. This has led to controversial enforcement measures, including roadside recruitment and occasional reports of coercion or corruption in draft offices. Human rights groups have called for clearer procedures for conscientious objection, better protection against abuse, and transparent oversight of recruitment practices. While the Ukrainian state must sustain her armed forces, she also bears an obligation to uphold due process and dignity for her citizens, even under extreme strain.

Minorities, Refugees and Internal Displacement

The war has displaced over ten million people, creating one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since the Second World War. Inside Ukraine, millions of internally displaced persons face precarious living conditions, inadequate housing, and uncertain access to healthcare. Yet the state, in cooperation with local NGOs and international partners, has built an impressive humanitarian infrastructure, maintaining social cohesion under pressure. Minorities—such as the Roma, Crimean Tatars, and LGBTQ+ citizens—continue to face discrimination, but there has been no evidence of systematic repression. On the contrary, Ukrainian society’s wartime solidarity has often expanded empathy and inclusion across ethnic and cultural lines.

Judiciary and Rule of Law

Ukraine’s courts continue to function, although under extreme stress. Corruption, long a structural issue, has not disappeared, but the pressure of war and international scrutiny have strengthened certain anti-corruption mechanisms. The Ukrainian parliament has passed laws aligning with European human rights standards, even amidst bombardment. Nevertheless the challenge remains to ensure that emergency powers do not harden into permanent habits, and that accountability for wartime misconduct—by all sides—remains credible. Ukrainian prosecutors have begun to investigate war crimes committed by both Russian and Ukrainian personnel, signalling a commitment to international law even under fire.

A Nation Fighting for Liberalism

The paradox of Ukraine’s human rights situation is that although freedoms are restricted, the war itself is fought in defence of those very freedoms. Ukraine’s resistance embodies the principle that sovereignty, democracy, and human rights are indivisible. The state has erred at times—through overzealous control, bureaucratic opacity, or the occasional mistreatment of detainees—but these failings occur within a society that debates them openly, with an active civil sphere and foreign partners holding Kyiv accountable.

The Measure of Liberty in War

War distorts every principle it touches, yet it can also clarify moral purpose. In 2025, Ukraine remains a society struggling to balance survival with conscience. Her record on human rights is imperfect but resilient. Compared to the totalitarian despotism of her aggressor, Ukraine’s commitment to democracy and legality stands as an act of defiance. The greatest human rights question now facing her people is not whether they can preserve civil liberties under siege, but whether the world will help ensure that a sovereign, democratic Ukraine survives long enough to restore them fully.