In the run-up to Christmas, the international journalism and human rights community is drawing attention to the critical humanitarian situation surrounding Ukrainian scientist, academician of the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (EUASU), and practicing lawyer Oleg Maltsev, who has been held in the Odessa detention center for more than 15 months. Against the backdrop of his poor health and deteriorating conditions of detention, an open campaign has been launched to raise funds for his medical, humanitarian, and legal support.
“Let’s make a small but important miracle happen this Christmas,” said Sergej Engelmann, editor of WMA magazine and German journalist, who initiated the fundraiser, in his appeal to the public. His position is based not only on professional solidarity, but also on personal experience: the journalist himself spent a whole year in a pre-trial detention center without clear and substantiated charges and understands well the conditions in which people are forced to survive in detention centers.
According to available information, Dr. Oleg Maltsev is in critical condition and suffers from a number of serious diagnoses that require regular medical supervision and treatment. The situation has been further exacerbated since December 11, when the Odessa detention center lost its stable power supply. In conditions of cold, darkness, and limited access to medical care, each day of imprisonment poses a direct threat to his life and health.
The initiators of the fundraiser emphasize that this is not a political campaign, but rather an urgent humanitarian aid effort for a person who finds himself in an extremely vulnerable position. The funds raised through the campaign will be allocated to three key areas: medical care, basic humanitarian support, and legal protection.
The campaign is hosted on the international platform Donorbox, which ensures transparency and the ability to track donations. The fundraiser is open to individuals, journalists, representatives of the academic community, and anyone who believes it is important to support the basic principles of humanism and human rights.
Donation link:
https://donorbox.org/support_dr_oleg_maltsev
The organizers emphasize that even a small contribution can make a significant difference. In conditions of isolation and limited resources, any support is not just financial assistance, but a signal of solidarity and attention from the international community.
For those who want to learn more about the chronology of the case, documents, and sources, a separate information resource has been created. It contains publicly available materials, legal analyses, and evidence that allow you to study the circumstances of the case independently.
Background & documentation:
Journalist Sergej Engelmann notes that his appeal is not based on abstract considerations, but on his personal knowledge of the reality of the Odessa detention center, which, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska, is in the worst technical condition in Ukraine. According to Engelmann, the conditions of detention, especially in the absence of electricity and in the presence of serious illnesses, quickly move from the category of “difficult” to the category of life-threatening. That is why he considers it his professional and human duty to draw attention to Dr. Maltsev’s situation.
In the run-up to the Christmas holidays, the campaign’s initiators are calling on the media, human rights organizations, and representatives of the academic community to spread the word about the fundraiser. In their opinion, it is especially important now to remember that even in the context of complex political and social processes, humanitarian values and the protection of human life should not take a back seat.
Media contacts, additional comments, and materials are available upon request.
