Detention: March 28, 2022, Hola Prystan, Kherson region, temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Illegally abducted for his pro-Ukrainian stance. Since then, he has been held in Russian captivity as a civilian hostage and political prisoner without any official charges.

Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, there is no official information on a sentence. The Russian Federation has unlawfully detained Oleksandr Babich for an extended period without charges or access to independent legal counsel. Human rights defenders classify his detention as unlawful imprisonment and enforced disappearance.

Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Babich was born on June 9, 1968. He lived in Hola Prystan, Kherson region. Married with two children. He worked for many years in entrepreneurship and civic activities before dedicating himself to local government service.

Throughout his career, Oleksandr Babich focused on developing the city community and infrastructure. After being elected mayor of Hola Prystan, he worked on housing and communal services, supported social projects, and attracted investments to the community. He was known among residents as an approachable leader who supported local initiatives and actively engaged with the community.

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hola Prystan came under Russian occupation. Despite the danger, Oleksandr Babich stayed in the city. He evacuated his family but chose to remain to assist the community. In the early weeks of occupation, he organized food and humanitarian aid supplies, coordinated municipal services, maintained public order, and supported peaceful pro-Ukrainian actions. His principled refusal to cooperate with the occupying administration, according to human rights defenders, led to his persecution.

On March 28, 2022, armed Russian soldiers stormed Oleksandr Babich's home. During a search, they threatened him with weapons and forcibly took him to the Hola Prystan City Council building. There, the occupiers interrogated the mayor, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. City council employees witnessed these events. Later, Oleksandr was taken to an unknown location, and contact with him was lost.

For a long time, the Russian side refused to confirm his detention. Only through testimonies of those detained with him was it established that Babich was held in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Simferopol, on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. According to former cellmates, he was in harsh conditions, mentally and physically exhausted, and pleaded with the international community to do everything possible for his release.

Human rights organizations reported that during his illegal detention, Oleksandr Babich was subjected to torture and cruel treatment. According to his wife, he developed serious health issues due to the torture. The family also lost their home, which was seized by the occupying authorities after his abduction. His wife repeatedly appealed publicly to Ukrainian authorities and international organizations for his release.

In 2025, information emerged that Oleksandr Babich was transferred from Simferopol Pre-trial Detention Centre to Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Taganrog, Russian Federation. This information came from a released Ukrainian prisoner of war who was with him during the transfer. According to him, the mayor had lost a lot of weight, suffered from high blood pressure, and remained completely isolated from the outside world. No official charges were ever brought against him.

As of July 2026, Oleksandr Babich continues to be unlawfully held in Russian captivity. His case is monitored by Ukrainian state bodies and human rights organizations. They emphasize that his detention is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and repeatedly call on the international community to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to release all unlawfully detained Ukrainian citizens.

Information sourced from: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, ZMINA, Ukrinform, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Vgoru, Media Initiative for Human Rights.

Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Update date: 17.07.2026.