A resident of Kherson, former ATO participant Pavlo Zaporozhets, whom the Russian authorities illegally sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment, is currently being held in Correctional Colony No. 6 in the city of Omsk.
This was told to the ZMINA publication by Pavlo’s sister, Lidiya Zaporozhets.
According to her, Pavlo was transferred to Omsk in October 2025. Since then, contact with him has significantly deteriorated — letters arrive irregularly, and some correspondence is likely being withheld.
“Contact has become very poor. The Russians are holding back letters. It’s also unclear what his regime is. He asks not to be asked unnecessary questions, so one can assume that he may be pressured for that”, — Lidiya said.
Lidiya said that in 2023, when Pavlo was held in the pre-trial detention center in Rostov, she gave him a Russian-French dictionary. He then began to study French. In Vladimir Central Prison, where he stayed for some time, the administration prohibited him from using the dictionary. For a year it remained in storage with his belongings until Pavlo Zaporozhets was transferred to Omsk. There his book was taken from him and handed over to the prison library, where he found it again.
As she notes, her brother does not understand why they are not being returned and why they continue to be held in Russian prisons.
Lidiya hopes that freed civilians, in particular UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khilyuk and former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, will draw attention to the issue of returning Kremlin captives during international meetings with senior foreign officials.
Recall that Russian forces abducted Pavlo Zaporozhets in Kherson in the spring of 2022. He was charged under Article 361 of the Russian Criminal Code “intent to commit a terrorist act” during the May 9 event.
The defense insisted that he is an officer of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and acted within the scope of a combat mission, and therefore should fall under the Geneva Convention. However, the Russian court rejected these arguments.
On November 29, 2023, a court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 12 years in a penal colony. He did not admit guilt.
The family also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the illegal detention. The court confirmed that the case has been accepted for consideration.