On November 7, the Ukrinform Press Center held a press conference dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Ukrainian Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords, also known as the Ukrainian Helsinki Group.

Levko Lukianenko, one of the founders of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, dissident and political prisoner, Vasyl Ovsiienko, a member of UHG, political prisoner, journalist, historian of the Dissident Movement, member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Raisa Rudenko, secretary of UGH, Yosyf Zisels, a member of the UHG, dissident, Ukrainian public figure, and Volodymyr Viatrovych, the Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, spoke at the event.

The participants of the press conference spoke about the condition and history of the Ukrainian human rights movement. Its creation resonated with the historical trends in the world. The important aspects of the topics of discussion were the uniqueness of the public activity of UHG, the tradition of the national liberation struggle, the tireless persecution by the Soviet authorities. So, Levko Lukianenko placed emphasis on the importance of primary publicity of UHG that was not an underground organization. The founders of the group pointed their personal data. Yosyf Zisels also noted that the UHG marked the continuation of the national liberation struggle. He said the armed format of this struggle continued the national-democratic format. On his view he mentioned interesting fact, that UHG joined in 70es former nationalists and former communists all together.