Ukrainian pacifist Yurii Sheliazhenko s trial postponed in Kyiv

On November 11^th  2026 the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv conducted a hearing in the criminal case of Ukrainian Quaker and pacifist Yurii Sheliazhenko, accused of justification of Russian aggression in a pacifist statement that condemned the invasion and called for nonviolent resistance.

The crime is punishable with 5 years of prison with possible confiscation of property according to Article 436-2 (2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Judge Anna Gridasova denied in consideration of procedural requests, including a request to delete from website of the Security Service of Ukraine a publication saying that Yurii Sheliazhenko is a criminal and enemy’s agitator in violation of right to presumption of innocence.

In 2022, Yurii Sheliazhenko sent to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy a statement called “Peace Agenda for Ukraine and the World”, asking to end the war by peaceful means and to protect human right to conscientious objection to military service. In 2023 his house was searched, mobile phone and computer seized, he was accused in justification of Russian aggression on the ground of sending the statement and held in house arrest until February 2024.

The statement explicitly supports condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine by the United Nations General Assembly and calls to resist war by nonviolent and unarmed methods.

“The accusation is based on linguistic expert conclusion alleging that pacifists shift blame from Russia saying that tragic mistakes were made on both sides of the conflict and that demonized enemy with whom it is impossible negotiate is a myth. I have another conclusion of licensed forensic linguists, one with academic degree, saying there is no justification of Russian aggression in the statement and actually it condemns Russian aggression” says Yurii.

Amnesty International in 2023 report mentioned Yurii’s case and suggested that Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is a threat to freedom of speech.

Yurii explains that the article was introduced to stop widespread Russian propaganda of war based on narratives that Putin voiced on his February 24^th  2022 speech when he invaded Ukraine.

“Any propaganda of aggressive war indeed should be prohibited by law, as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights envisions. So I understand the reasons of our lawmakers, but they adopted a vague law allowing to persecute for pacifism, including as a pretext to stop advocacy of right to conscientious objection, especially in atmosphere of weak procedural safeguards and strategic communications of the national defense sector demonizing pacifists. This saying, I wish we could overcome lies with popular literacy and ability to discuss different ideas, dismissing falsehoods and immorality typical to propaganda of war. I don’t support state suppression of freedom of speech, exept some reasonable safeguards against clear and dangerous lies, not leaving space for discussion and fact-checking and creating immediate harm, like the panic in crowded place after false fire alert”, explains Yurii.

In Yurii’s view, Kremlin’s information warfare, along with other forms of warfare, should be resisted nonviolently, by peaceful communication and civil disobedience: “Putin’s justifications of his brutal unjustifiable war of conquest upon my country are false, though they were tailored to appeal some mindsets and discourses in certain circles of the East and West. Post-Soviet people of old age were taught in compulsory education system that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and those in the West who followed Soviet official discourse of Cold War era also used to this idea being not aware that it serves assimilation of Ukrainians and imperial ambitions of Moscow. Non-interventionists in the United States used to blame their own government in every war and regime change, exaggerating to a degree of history-making a background role of covert operations that ride the wave of political trends. They are ready to deny Ukrainians in agency and independence, accepting Putin’s arrogant claim he was provoked to invade Ukraine by security arrangements of Western countries, including Ukraine. While I wish for more nonmilitary peace arrangements to abolish all wars and armies forever, I wish also that those who call for peace in Ukraine understand urgent neccessity of nonviolent resistance to Putin’s warmaking, mass killing, destruction of cities and civilian infrastructure of survival. Critical attitude to his false explanations of deplorable conduct could be a first step.”

Yurii Sheliazhenko calls government of Ukraine to stop imprisonment, arbitrary detentions and tortures of conscientious objectors, decriminalize conscientious objection as the European Commission demanded, and allow alternative non-military service in wartime according to the Rule of Law Roadmap, a list of pledges related to EU integration that Ukraine failed to deliver. “I was tortured in March 2026 in attempt to forcibly conscript me, to force me to change my religion and beliefs as a Quaker and pacifist. Many people of faith suffer inhumane treatment and deprivation of liberty. This should not happen. We must be allowed to protect peace with a nonviolent, non-military service in the interests of society and national survival in current perilous times” he declares.

The hearing was postponed to March 2^nd  2027.

Redazione Italia