World BEYOND War : Yurii has been abducted

Posted: 20th March 2026

World BEYOND War Board Member, pacifist, and opponent of all wars and violence, Yurii Sheliazhenko, has been abducted by police in Ukraine. He has long been threatened and falsely accused of supporting Russian warmaking.

We need to tell the Ukrainian government how many people are watching.

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Yurii Sheliazhenko, PhD, is a Member of the Board of Directors of World BEYOND War. He is based in Ukraine. Yurii is executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, a board member of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, and a council member of the International Peace Bureau.

On March 19, representatives of the Pechersk District Police in Kyiv, along with an individual claiming to be a TCC (Territorial Recruitment Center) officer, illegally detained Yurii Sheliazhenko. Yurii managed to call his lawyer, but the officers did not wait for the lawyer’s arrival.

Updates on this story and more information are here.

Thanks for helping!

—World BEYOND War

World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.