Modern concentration camps: the human cost of ceding Ukrainian land

I recently had a great interview with Taiwan’s Central News Agency about the upcoming meeting in Alaska between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Journalist asked a simple, straightforward question: If you were Trump’s advisor, what would you say to him right before the summit?

I said the most important thing is to stop talking about a "land swap" as if it’s just soil, square miles, or something lifeless. When we talk about Ukrainian land, we’re first and foremost talking about Ukrainian people—people who are tortured, raped, killed, persecuted for their faith, culture, and national identity, whose children are abducted and forcibly stripped of their Ukrainian identity.

Did you know that Russia has launched an online "catalog" of kidnapped Ukrainian children, sorted by age, eye color, and number of siblings? It’s terrifying how inhuman this is. If this war were about NATO expansion, why would Russia abduct Ukrainian children? Because this war isn’t about NATO—it’s about erasing Ukraine as a nation and turning it into a platform for future wars.

Did you know that on the occupied territories, there is no religious denomination allowed except the Russian Orthodox Church? When we talk about Ukrainian land, we’re talking about people’s relatives, families, women, and children trapped under Russian occupation—without rule of law, without freedoms, and without even basic human dignity.

Did you know that escaping these territories is nearly impossible. Russian forces shoot civilians trying to flee, because anyone unwilling to embrace the occupation—and who has the courage and free will to return to Ukrainian-controlled land—is seen as a threat that must be eliminated. There are thousands of documented cases of families being shot in their cars while trying to escape.

Did you know that on Russian-occupied territories seized after 2014 — especially in the Donbas region — people have no access to clean drinking water, hygiene products, medicine, or basic survival needs. The water supply runs through worn-out pipes, and as an alternative, the occupation authorities offer mine water contaminated with radioactive substances from nuclear testing at the Yunkom mine in the 1970s. These areas have suffered a double epidemic and a rise in HIV cases among newborns, while all independent international observers are barred from entry.

2014 already showed us that leaving these lands under Russian occupation leads to another human catastrophe, cutting off all access to the people there and to the truth about what’s happening.

So when we entertain the idea of "giving up" Ukrainian territories, we are effectively telling the people there: We will abandon you. We will not fight for you. That’s not ending the war—it’s condemning thousands of people to endless suffering in what are essentially modern concentration camps of Russian aggression.

And ultimately, did you know the Ukrainian army is fully capable of defending its land and only needs adequate air defense to protect civilians? Ukrainian-made sea drones struck Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, forcing its retreat.

Ukraine secured the The Grain Deal on its own terms after Russia violated the original UN- and Turkey-brokered agreement by shelling ports and pulling out in July 2023. Ukraine’s drone fleet then destroyed much of Russia’s naval power.

In Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine took out one-third of Russia’s nuclear bomber fleet deep inside Russian territory — hitting five major airbases — with its own drones. And that’s not counting special operations eliminating top Russian commanders.

Ukraine can win. The myth of Russia’s "undefeated" history is nothing more than propaganda. But people who don't believe in supporting Ukraine can make it true.