Detention: Russian occupiers abducted him on September 21, 2022, directly from his workplace, after which he was held at a police station in Enerhodar. He was subjected to torture and later transferred to the Melitopol pre-trial detention centre.

Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no sentence has been issued. The Russian Federation has not reported transferring the case to court. Oleksii Brazhnyk is unlawfully held as a civilian hostage by Russia. Human rights organizations classify his detention as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Oleksii Brazhnyk is a Ukrainian citizen from Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, he worked as an engineer in the physical protection service at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Colleagues described him as an experienced specialist who ensured the safety of one of Europe's largest nuclear facilities for many years.

After the occupation of Enerhodar, Russian military began systematic pressure on Zaporizhzhia NPP employees, demanding they join the structure created by the occupying authorities, threatening dismissal, abduction, and criminal prosecution. Many employees faced unlawful detentions, interrogations, and torture.

In September 2022, Oleksii Brazhnyk was abducted directly from his workplace at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. After this, all contact with him was lost. His family was unaware of his whereabouts and condition for a long time. The Russian side did not disclose the reasons for his detention or confirm his place of confinement.

It later became known that after his abduction, Oleksii was held in various places of detention. According to his daughter Viktoriia Brazhnyk and human rights defenders, during his unlawful detention, he was subjected to physical and psychological pressure, torture, multiple transfers, and prolonged isolation. The conditions of his detention remained unknown even to his closest relatives.

Human rights defenders report that since January 2025, Oleksii Brazhnyk has been held incommunicado — without the right to correspondence, phone calls, or visits from family and lawyers. This regime effectively means complete isolation from the outside world and is considered by international organizations as a form of cruel treatment of detainees. Available information indicates he is held in a detention facility in the Russian Federation, thousands of kilometers from home.

The prisoner's daughter has repeatedly spoken publicly about the conditions of Ukrainian civilian hostages. According to her, people are placed six to seven per cell, designed for only two or three inmates. She also reported that throughout the full-scale war, no Zaporizhzhia NPP employee held in Russian captivity has been released through exchange.

As of July 17, 2026, there is no information in open sources about official charges, the start of a trial, or a sentence regarding Oleksii Brazhnyk.

Sources of information: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Hromadske Radio, Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, Hromadske Radio.

Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Last updated: 17.07.2026.