Ukrainian Detainee Maryna Dies by Suicide in Russian-Run Center After 8 Months Held
Updated
Updated · Veridica · Aug 17
Ukrainian Detainee Maryna Dies by Suicide in Russian-Run Center After 8 Months Held
1 articles · Updated · Veridica · Aug 17
Summary
May 12, 2024, marked Maryna’s death by suicide while she was alone in a cell at the Russian-run Vesele detention center in occupied Zaporizhzhia, where five women from Melitopol had been held for pro-Ukrainian views.
Eight months of detention unfolded in filthy, unheated cells with scarce food, no family visits and repeated transfers to FSB offices, according to testimony and documents gathered by The Reckoning Project.
Sevil and Liudmyla, released in March 2024 and now back in Ukraine, said Maryna was in the worst psychological condition, isolated from family and consumed by fear of hunger after earlier abuse.
The other women’s cases show the wider fallout: Oksana received 3 years’ probation under occupation, while Nadiia was sentenced in November 2024 to 14 years in a Russian penal colony for alleged treason.
The women’s accounts fit broader UN findings that Russian authorities have arbitrarily detained Ukrainian civilians in occupied areas and subjected many to torture and ill-treatment.