The exhibitions bring to light the situation for children in occupied territories living under Russian rule, and for civilians unlawfully held in detention, among them human rights defenders, volunteers and journalists.

Through the Veil of Silence – Children about Life under Occupation

Through the Veil of Silence – Children about Life under Occupation documents the impact of militarization and systemic pressure on children under occupation. Organised by the Centre for Civil Education Almenda, this  exhibition gives voice to more than one million Ukrainian children living under Russian rule. Their testimonies, collected through trusted educators and depicted via AI-generated imagery, reveal lives shaped by repression, forced militarization, and efforts to erase their Ukrainian identity. The exhibition offers a rare insight into the stolen childhoods of a generation growing up under occupation — and a call to restore their right to freedom and safety.

Please Free the Birds

The second exhibition, presented by Centre for Civil Liberties, is called Please Free the Birds and portrays the struggle of civilian hostages and their families through contemporary visual art by artist Katya Syta. 

This art project, aimed at advocating for the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian civilian hostages, highlights the struggle of families fighting for the release of their loved ones. The people detained are individuals who have openly expressed their patriotism and love for Ukraine, participated in rallies in occupied cities, and used information to resist occupation and to defend Ukraine’s freedom.

The exhibitions were hosted by the European External Action Service, in cooperation with the Mission of Ukraine the European Union, Crimean/Ukrainian organizations and international civil society.   

Crimea Week in Brussels

Both exhibitions were launched as part of the first Crimea Week in Brussels, 5 days of high-level discussions, cultural events, and expert exchanges aimed at strengthening European engagement on Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula under Russian occupation since 2014.

Events taking place as part of Crimea Week included commemorating the deportation in 1944 by the Soviet Union of the Crimean Tartars from their homeland to Central Asia. There was also the screening of the documentary Without the Right to Protection, which presented the harrowing stories of victims of politically-motivated persecution in Crimea.

Crimea Week was also the occasion for the launch of a new book, The Free Voices of Crimea, a collection of portraits of 16 journalist-political prisoners who are fighting for human rights and freedom of speech on the occupied peninsula.