The condition of Kherson volunteer Mykola Petrovskyi, who was illegally sentenced by the Russians, has deteriorated. The man requires constant medical supervision.
This is reported in a Kherson Plus article.
According to Mykola’s father, due to a severe injury to the healthy leg, which is forced to take all the load, the man has developed muscle atrophy, which has effectively deprived him of the ability to move independently. Physical exhaustion is accompanied by complications: curvature of the spine, the appearance of intervertebral hernias, protrusions, and a painful cyst.
As early as 2012, Staphylococcus aureus was found in Mykola’s blood. The disease manifests as constant abscesses and boils over the body, which, due to weak immunity, do not heal and provoke episodes of high fever. The father emphasizes that the infection is rapidly progressing, creating a real threat of sepsis. In addition, Mykola suffers from constant headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, and is on the verge of complete physical exhaustion.
The family received the last news about Mykola at the end of January 2026 from his lawyer. According to his father, the 32-year-old son is holding on and believes things will get better.
“We know that our organizations are doing everything possible to bring civilians and military personnel back from Russian captivity. At the same time, enemy structures can for months not respond, not provide information, and delay the exchange process as much as possible. Mykola was sentenced to 16 years, and considering that he is not being provided with proper medical care, his condition is worsening even more. We want to believe that he will withstand this hell, that he will return to Ukraine alive and we will definitely hug each other again. We miss him very much, but we are not just waiting — we are fighting for him and will fight until our last breath,” said the father.
Mykola was detained on March 27, 2022 during the occupation of Kherson. For a long time there was no information about his fate.
As it later turned out, for half a year he was held in a basement by FSB officers, and during the retreat of Russian troops was taken out of the city and held in Simferopol pre-trial detention center No. 2.
The occupiers accused Mykola Petrovskyi of espionage. In February 2024 the decision was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Crimea, although the evidence in the case, according to Mykola’s mother, is absent.
Mykola has a Group III disability. In 2012 he survived a serious car accident — he suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple jaw fractures, amputation of part of his foot, and was in a coma for a long time. In 2014 he was fitted with a prosthesis which is now broken and no longer usable.