Detention: On April 29, 2022, Iryna disappeared on her way home from work in Koktebel. Her whereabouts were concealed from her family for nearly two weeks. It was later revealed that she was unlawfully detained by FSB officers, where she reportedly experienced physical and psychological pressure. Russian authorities accused Iryna of illegal possession of explosives (Part 1, Article 222.1 of the Russian Criminal Code), claiming that a homemade explosive device was allegedly found in her eyeglass case. Iryna Danilovych categorically denies these charges, asserting that the explosives were planted on her after her abduction.

Sentence: On December 28, 2022, the Russia-controlled Feodosia City Court sentenced Iryna Danilovych to 7 years of imprisonment and a fine. After an appeal, the sentence was reduced by one month to 6 years and 11 months. In May 2024, the cassation court upheld this sentence. Subsequently, Iryna was transferred to Women's Penal Colony No. 7 in Zelenokumsk (Stavropol Krai, Russia). Ukrainian state bodies and international human rights organizations recognize her as a political prisoner, emphasizing that the case was fabricated in retaliation for her journalistic and human rights activities.

Iryna Bronislavivna Danilovych (born May 6, 1979) is a citizen journalist, human rights defender, nurse, and civic activist from occupied Crimea. After the start of the Russian occupation, she collaborated with independent media and human rights initiatives, covering politically motivated trials and investigating healthcare issues, including corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following her journalistic reports on medical violations, Iryna began reporting increased pressure from Russian security forces.

Iryna Danilovych was abducted by FSB officers on April 29 and held in an FSB basement until May 7 without any legal status or access to a lawyer. She was interrogated with a polygraph and subjected to psychological pressure, including threats of being taken to the forest or Mariupol, and was fed once a day.

Later, explosives were 'found' in Danilovych's bag, which had been confiscated from her. On May 7, the so-called 'Kyiv District Court' of Simferopol ordered her detention for two months.

At the end of July, the journalist managed to report that FSB officers continued to exert pressure on her in the Simferopol pre-trial detention centre, including inflicting bodily harm during transport to court.

On July 5, 'judge' Olga Kuznetsova extended the journalist's detention for two months, ignoring the fact that Danilovych's arrest occurred a week before the official documentation.

In December 2021, a series of defamatory publications appeared on the Telegram channel 'Lys i Vorona,' labeling Danilovych as a 'foreign agent.'

In early July, the illegal 'Kyiv District Court of Simferopol' extended the journalist and human rights defender's detention until September 6. Journalists and public observers were not allowed into the court session.

After her arrest, Iryna Danilovych's health rapidly deteriorated. Due to the lack of proper medical care, she developed chronic otitis, partial hearing loss, constant tinnitus, severe headaches, and suffered a mini-stroke in 2023. Human rights defenders have repeatedly stated that the lack of treatment poses a direct threat to her life.

While under FSB control, Iryna Danilovych claimed she was unlawfully detained for several days without contact with the outside world, denied access to a lawyer, and subjected to psychological pressure. She stated that explosives were planted on her after her detention, which later became the basis for the criminal case. Ukrainian and international human rights organizations emphasize that the circumstances of her detention, concealment of her whereabouts, and numerous procedural violations indicate the politically motivated nature of her persecution.

Iryna Danilovych's case is continuously documented by the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the ZMINA Human Rights Center, the Crimean Human Rights Group, PEN Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), Amnesty International, and other international and Ukrainian human rights organizations. They have repeatedly called on Russia to immediately provide Iryna with adequate medical care and release her.

There is particular concern about her health condition. Due to prolonged lack of medical care, Iryna has partially lost her hearing, suffered a mini-stroke, and suffers from constant pain and other complications. Human rights defenders emphasize that the conditions of her detention may pose a real threat to her life, and the lack of specialized treatment is considered cruel and inhuman treatment.

As of July 9, 2026, Iryna Danilovych remains unlawfully held in Penal Colony No. 7 in Zelenokumsk (Stavropol Krai, Russia). The Ukrainian state and international organizations continue to demand her immediate release, provision of necessary medical care, and cessation of persecution of journalists and civic activists in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, PEN Ukraine, ZMINA Human Rights Center, Crimean Human Rights Group, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Ukrinform, Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).

Photo: Ukr. net.

Update date: 09.07.2026.