France has detained a member of the Donetsk People's Republic, a pro-Russian terrorist organization, acting in Ukraine's eastern regions. Ukraine's Security Service and the Office of the Prosecutor General assisted in the operation.
According to investigators, he is implicated in torture carried out in the illegal Donetsk detention facility “Izolyatsiya.” Ukrainian law enforcement agencies reported this.
“Izolyatsiya” is a notorious prison facility in Donetsk, where people are tortured simply for being Ukrainian. Journalist Stanislav Aseyev, who survived imprisonment there, described it as “a threshold beyond which a person feels like God while behaving like the devil.”
Assistant to “Izolyatsiya” leadership: torture, coercion, and forced confessions
The investigation established that in 2017–2019, the suspect voluntarily cooperated with representatives of the pro-Russian illegal entity and served as an assistant to the leadership of the illegal prison in occupied Donetsk.
He participated in torture, cruel treatment of detainees, psychological pressure, and forcing “required” confessions. At least nine victims have currently been documented.
Escape to EU and international investigation: France opens its own case
In 2021, after the Security Service completed its investigation and transferred the case to court, the accused left Ukraine and traveled to France, where he attempted to obtain refugee status.
Following appeals from Ukrainian prosecutors and human rights organizations, including Truth Hounds, French law enforcement opened its own criminal proceedings.
Arrest and war crimes charges: case under Paris court supervision
As part of a joint investigation by Ukrainian and French investigators, the man was arrested. By decision of the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, he was taken into custody and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The investigation is ongoing under the supervision of a specialized unit of the Paris court.
