The Center for Civil Liberties stated that Oleksiy Anula, despite hunger and brutal treatment, managed to preserve his dignity and inner freedom.
The Igor Kozlovsky Award was established in 2025 to honor individuals who uphold dignity in various fields such as culture, education, politics, and business.
The primary goal of the award is to highlight that human rights advocacy is a daily practice for everyone.
This year, the award took place for the first time, receiving over a hundred nominations from across Ukraine. An independent jury selected three finalists:
Oleg Miroshnychenko — for his active role in advocating changes to the Cabinet’s Resolution regarding disability recognition due to Russian attacks.
The "Platsdarm" Association — for bringing the fallen back home.
Oleksiy Anula — for documenting experiences of Russian captivity and assisting in the release of Ukrainian prisoners.
On Instagram, the Center for Civil Liberties announced that Oleksiy Anula, a veteran from Chernihiv, received the Igor Kozlovsky Award for his commitment to human dignity.
«After his release, he supports the families of captives, helps advocate for their freedom, and testifies about Russian war crimes. In 2025, he published the book Jingle Bellz, reflecting on his personal experience of being in Russian captivity», — the report states.
Oleksiy emphasized that hundreds of thousands of people are working every day to ensure that our country remains strong, despite enemy pressures.
«Dignity for me means being able to give a part of yourself for the good of others, for your homeland, for your family», — he added.
The award statuette was received by Oleksiy's mother during the ceremonial event.
Oleksiy was captured in March 2022 near Chernihiv.
He recognized the Russian general who interrogated him during the early days of captivity. It turned out to be Yevgeny Poplavskiy, originally from Donetsk.
In December 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine declared Poplavskiy a suspect for orchestrating repressions against Ukrainians. According to the SBU, there is documented evidence of his involvement in the torture of civilians.
Oleksiy managed to identify the general who interrogated him within just a month.
He continues to expose war criminals.
