In a concerning development, at least 18 journalists from Ukraine, specifically from the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, are currently held captive in Russian prisons. These journalists are reportedly facing charges that have been deemed politically motivated by various human rights organizations.
Among these journalists is Vladyslav Yesypenko, a notable contributor to Crimea.Realities, a branch of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service. Yesypenko, who holds dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship, has been incarcerated in Russia since March 10, 2021. He recently marked his fourth year in confinement.
In February 2022, a court in Crimea, appointed by the Russian authorities, sentenced Yesypenko to a six-year prison term on charges of espionage. Both Yesypenko and his employer, along with human rights organizations, have refuted these charges, labeling them as contrived.
A few months subsequent to this, Yesypenko was accused of “possession and transport of explosives,” a charge he emphatically denies. Interestingly, it was later revealed by the prosecutors that the grenade reportedly found in his vehicle did not bear his fingerprints. Yesypenko also dismissed allegations of gathering intelligence for Ukraine during his trial proceedings.
The supreme court in Crimea, under Moscow’s control, later lessened Yesypenko’s sentence to a five-year term. Yesypenko revealed during his trial that he was subjected to torture, including electric shocks, to coerce him into a false confession.
In response to these events, the European Union imposed sanctions in September 2023 on six individuals involved in Yesypenko’s case. This included two judges, a prosecutor, and two officers from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), who were identified by the EU as being responsible for Yesypenko’s torture.
Kateryna Yesypenko, Vladyslav’s wife, has been actively campaigning for his release. Speaking at a conference in Canada, she stated that her husband’s only crime was to reveal to the world the reality of life in occupied Crimea.
Before his arrest, Yesypenko had been reporting on social and environmental issues in Crimea, including stories about Crimean Tatars, ecological crises, and the effects of Russian occupation on the region.
Various international organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, and PEN America have called for Yesypenko’s release. Since his imprisonment, Yesypenko has been honored for his work, receiving Ukraine’s Ihor Lubenko National Prize for Defending Freedom of Expression in November 2022 and the US’s PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award in May 2022.
According to the CPJ, Moscow unlawfully annexed Crimea in early 2014 and has since been supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, systematically suppressing media and prosecuting journalists who oppose the occupation.
Yesypenko is one of four RFE/RL journalists and contributors currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. The others include Ihar Losik, Nika Novak, and Farid Mehralizada. Losik, a blogger, was convicted in December 2021 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Novak was arrested in December 2023 and sentenced to four years in prison. Mehralizada, an economist and journalist, was arrested in May and is facing charges that could result in up to 12 years in prison.
