Ukrainian Civilians Abducted, Tortured in Russian Prisons

Russia has detained thousands of Ukrainian civilians in its prisons for years, violating international humanitarian law. Families have endured years of anguish, some for over a decade, in their quest to secure the release of loved ones. Among them is Larisa Shevandin, who has not seen her husband Oleh since 2015.

Oleh Shevandin’s 11-Year Captivity

Oleh, an athlete and president of a local martial arts association in Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine, was kidnapped in May 2015. At that time, the city was under the control of the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” a pro-Russian separatist entity established the year prior. Shevandin recounts how masked men with guns stopped her husband on the street, dragged him from his car, covered his head with a sack, and vanished him into their vehicle.

“The UN has no direct influence, so despite their efforts, he remains imprisoned,” says Shevandin. “Eleven years in a Russian prison is a long time. They say every day is hell — but then you have to multiply that by 365, and then by another 11.”

Oleh’s arrest marked one of the earliest documented cases in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. His name appears on a list for potential prisoner exchanges, yet he has no legal representation and is held without formal charges. Many others face the same fate, with tens of thousands disappearing during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Human rights groups estimate at least 16,000 Ukrainian non-combatants are currently imprisoned by Russia.

Legal Justifications and Human Rights Concerns

Mikhail Savva of the Ukraine-based Center for Civil Liberties notes that Russia justifies arrests by claiming detainees “resisted the special military operation.” “These people have no legal status,” he says. “Their imprisonment violates both international and Russian law.”

Yurii Kovbasa, a representative of the Ukrainian parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, explains: “Logically, the Geneva Convention forbids countries from invading another’s territory and arbitrarily detaining its citizens.”

From Fairy Tales to Real-Life Ordeals

Activist Serhiy Tsyhipa, known for his fairy tales about Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s Kherson region, became a symbol of this conflict. After retiring in 2021, he wrote stories featuring a water fairy abducting a character resembling himself. The tale turned into a grim reality when Russian forces occupied Nova Kakhovka in early 2022.

Tsyhipa was arrested on March 12, 2022, and detained without charges for months, according to the Russian human rights group Memorial. He was later charged with espionage on December 26, 2022, and labeled a political prisoner. His wife, Olena Tsyhipa, a freelance human rights activist, has been tirelessly searching for the “magic keys” that would free him.

“I know it wouldn’t make his fate any easier if I just sat around and cried,” Olena says. “Keeping in touch with him has been impossible. The last letter I received was in February, even though I write every week and send paper for his replies.”