Copenhagen; November 2026: Today OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Mykyta Poturaiev (Ukraine) and Special Rapporteur Boris Dittrich (Netherlands) has expressed grave concern over new reports suggesting that Vadym Golda, one of three Ukrainian staff members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation since April 2022, may have been transferred from the temporarily occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine to a medical-correctional facility in Russia’s Tambov region.
In a joint statement the Parliamentary Assembly leaders has appealed: “Reports that Vadym Golda may have been transferred to Russia’s Tambov region are particularly alarming in light of the unlawful transfers of his colleagues, Dmytro Shabanov and Maksym Petrov, to penal colonies in the Russian Federation in 2025. The continued absence of reliable, independently verified information concerning their conditions of detention and health is unacceptable”, while reiterating further that – “Any transfer of protected civilians from occupied Ukrainian territory to the Russian Federation must be assessed against the relevant unequivocal prohibitions contained in Articles 49 and 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has already spoken with one voice on this matter. In its Hague Declaration of 8 July 2026, the Assembly explicitly demanded the immediate release of Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov. It further urged Russia, pending their release, to guarantee humane treatment, adequate medical care, regular and meaningful family contact, and unimpeded access by the International Committee of the Red Cross and OSCE officials.
The PA members has further voiced that – “The detention of personnel carrying out an internationally agreed OSCE mandate is not merely an injustice against three individuals. It strikes at the very heart of credibility of our Organization and the security of every person entrusted with implementing its decisions. As the Hague Declaration rightly recognizes, the persecution of international monitors raises fundamental questions about the viability and credibility of future monitoring arrangements.
We therefore call on the Russian Federation to immediately provide credible and independently verifiable information on the exact whereabouts, health and conditions of detention of all three officials; ensure their safety, adequate medical care and uninterrupted contact with their families; and grant the ICRC and OSCE representatives immediate and unimpeded access to them.
We urge the OSCE Chairpersonship, all participating States and members of the Parliamentary Assembly to intensify their diplomatic and parliamentary efforts, in close co-ordination with the OSCE Secretary General, to secure their freedom. Above all, Russia must release Vadym Golda, Dmytro Shabanov and Maksym Petrov immediately and unconditionally.
The OSCE officials’ release is not a matter of political discretion. It is a matter of international law, human dignity and the credibility of the OSCE itself”.
Team Maverick.
