On 13 March 2022 [the] Russian military kidnapped the chairman of the Melitopol (Ukraine) district council Sergey Priyma. The democratically elected local politician was taken away in an unknown direction. Neither his family, nor colleagues and the community of Melitopol know where and in what condition he is.

We know Sergey Priyma as a dedicated local politician who has done a lot for his community and the whole district. He is the chairman of the Ukrainian Association of Learning Cities and one of the initiators for the establishment of learning cities in the Ukraine. With his support several Ukrainian cities joined the UNESCO Global network of learning cities.

As participant of numerous international projects and initiatives Mr Priyma is an activist and advocate for the right to education at any age, argues for humanistic values and promotes good governance and active participation of citizens in democracy.

We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the violence and terror against civilians. We call on the occupational forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine to release Mr Priyma immediately!

Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (DVV International)

Korean Association of Lifelong Learning Cities (KALLC)

PASCAL International Observatory endorses this appeal

In mid-March, the Russian military kidnapped Ukrainian educator Sergey Priyma. A call is now being made for him to be released.

Sergey Priyma is the chairman of the Ukrainian organization Association of Learning Cities and one of the founders of the establishment of adult education structures in Ukraine. Through his work, several Ukrainian cities have become part of UNESCO's global network of learning cities.

Several civil society actors were kidnapped In addition to Sergey Priyma, several civil society actors were abducted at the same time. Since their disappearance, no one has received information about their status or where they are.

Several global adult education organizations, including German DVV, are now calling for the release of Sergey and other kidnapped civil society actors.