Russian media outlets Mediazona and Meduza report that Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Ishchenko, who served as a driver in the Azov regiment and was captured in Mariupol, has died in Russian captivity at a detention center in Rostov-on-Don.
According to the reports, Ishchenko's death was announced by his lawyer at the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation. The court is currently hearing a case against 22 captured Ukrainians associated with Azov.
The date and cause of Ishchenko's death remain unknown. His lawyer has requested that the court demand a death certificate, a request which has been granted.
The 55-year-old Ishchenko was born in Mariupol. His wife said that he had been a sailor and had returned from a voyage just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Shortly after, he joined the Azov regiment as a driver.
According to the reports, Ishchenko was captured during the fighting in Mariupol.
The case underscores the ongoing concerns about the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian custody, though the specific conditions of Ishchenko's captivity and the events leading to his death remain unclear based on the available information.
Read also:
- NYT: Ukraine recruits about 30,000 people into the army monthly
- Ministry announces program to swap convicted Russian collaborators for Ukrainian POWs
- Relatives of Ukrainian POWs: Russia returns bodies without internal organs during exchanges
Read Also
-
Watch first naval battle in history fought entirely by drones: Ukrainian uncrewed boat spots, fires on, and sinks Russian one in Black Sea
-
“There is real hunger there”: Oleshky, occupied town in Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast, turned 942 this week. Behind Russian blockade, its people eat roadside grass
-
EU has never sanctioned Russia’s nuclear sector. Activists say that gap just let Rosatom into German plant, and they’re suing to close It
