‘I wanted to bring about some change in this war’

So far, more than 630 survivors have received compensation and support under the project. Anhelina is one of them.  

Still a child when war erupted in her hometown, she began helping others from a young age, from singing at birthday parties for orphans to later writing about the plight of women detained by Russian forces. She was joined in her volunteering work by her close family friend, Liudmyla Huseinova, who also rallied the local community to stop Russian forces from raping Anhelina and her mother when they invaded Novoazovsk in 2014. 

In 2022, Anhelina relocated to Germany. Compensation from the pilot, also given to some survivors living abroad, meant she was able to dedicate herself to a mission close to her heart -returning to Ukraine to help other women who have suffered human rights violations, including sexual violence, at the hands of Russian forces. The financial support allowed her to spend longer in Ukraine, extending her visits from one to three days to several weeks at a time, joining roundtables, and meeting survivors across the country.  

In 2024, she joined the organisation Numo, Sisters! (‘Let’s act, sisters’) launched by Liudmyla, who was detained by Russian forces for three years. Their goal is now to help women survivors of Russian detention and conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine. 

In late September, Anhelina travelled to Geneva for the first time to join GSF, Ukrainian and international representatives in discussing the pilot project and Bardina Law – and why this support for survivors must continue.

Initially, she was very happy and surprised to be approved for the compensation, she says: “I kept thinking, why me?’ I didn’t believe it would happen, because I didn’t trust it. People were talking about the issue [conflict-related sexual violence] but not acting. Many people talked about Mariupol during the siege, and I thought ‘yes - but you’re not helping.”  

Anhelina learned of the urgent interim reparations through GSF’s country lead who connected her with a case manager. However her mother, and older brother, who was detained by Russian forces, are still waiting for their applications to be approved. She says a lack of funding has kept their cases idle.  

“It’s not just about money,” she says of the compensation. “It’s about recognition, and partially closing this wound.”

Although Ukraine is still mired in war, discussions are already turning to reconstruction. Many survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are still awaiting the recognition and compensation promised under the Bardina Law, which is yet to be rolled out and implemented. 

At the Geneva event, conversation turned to placing survivors at the centre of reconstruction talks, focusing Ukraine’s rebuilding on not just buildings, but the people who have been harmed. Anhelina agrees – and says funding reparations in Ukraine will show survivors “they are not alone.” 

“In Mariupol money had no power...only hope and life were important. Hope that we would be alive tomorrow and not killed by a Russian missile,” she said of her time in the city, which was besieged by Russian forces for more than two months in the spring of 2022.  

However, when the fighting wanes, money – and reparations – are at the forefront of survivors’ minds, she said, explaining that “in a world where there are no missiles, money does play an important role, and funding reparation is important.” 

“The scars from conflict-related sexual violence, imprisonment, and torture will stay with us for a lifetime. International authorities working on the law should come to Ukraine and speak with survivors, to understand their perspective and why it's needed.”

The urgent interim measures pilot in Ukraine was made possible with the participation of the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.