Open Letter by People First Campaign to First Lady Melania Trump on Ukrainian Women in Russian Detention

To the First Lady Melania Trump

Washington, DC 20500

November 4, 2026

Dear Mrs. Trump,

We are writing as the People First Campaign, an international initiative calling for the release of people detained in connection with Russia's war against Ukraine, including unlawfully detained Ukrainian civilians.

We were immensely relieved to learn of the agreement to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Ukraine's Khersonska region and the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance. We also noted reports of the major role you played in facilitating the negotiations that led to this humanitarian operation.

Your position as First Lady of the United States provides you with particular opportunities and authority to draw attention to the need to protect civilians affected by the armed conflict.

In this spirit, we would like to once again draw your attention to the plight of Ukrainian civilian detainees, especially women, who remain in Russian custody. Many are held incommunicado, in inhumane conditions and have been subjected to systematic torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Some urgently require medical care and may not survive prolonged detention.

Your leadership could help draw much-needed international attention to their plight and advance efforts to secure their release. With another round of US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine tentatively expected in November, there is an important opportunity to make the release of unlawfully detained civilians, particularly women facing urgent humanitarian circumstances, a priority.

The exact number of Ukrainian civilian women held in Russian detention remains unknown, as Russian authorities do not disclose this information. The Center for Civil Liberties and the Ukrainian War Archive, both members of the People First Campaign, have identified close to 300 Ukrainian civilian women currently in Russian custody, although this list is incomplete and the actual number is likely higher.

We respectfully urge you to use your public platform and humanitarian engagement to highlight their situation, advocate for their release, and encourage immediate access to medical care, contact with families, and protection from torture and other ill-treatment for those who remain in detention.

Attached, we highlight particularly urgent cases of Ukrainian women whose lives and well-being remain at risk in Russian custody.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent humanitarian issue and for your efforts to alleviate the suffering of civilians affected by the war.

Respectfully yours,

People First Campaign member organizations, including Human Rights Watch