Detention: On February 11, 2018, in occupied Simferopol, Kostyantyn Davidenko was apprehended as he was leaving the office of his appraiser colleagues and heading to his car. Four men in civilian clothes and balaclavas, without identification, tackled him to the ground, began beating him, handcuffed him, and forced him into a minibus. He was taken to Pavlyuk Street, to a basement, where he was beaten for several hours without charges or formalities. FSB Captain Pavlo Shentyayev stated that Davidenko was arrested on suspicion of espionage for Ukraine. He openly said: "I have a plan – I need to 'catch' three spies a year to get promoted to major and go to Moscow. Your confession is formal and needed for my reports."

Sentence: After interrogation, Davidenko was flown to Moscow, where the Lefortovo Court ordered his detention in Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre. On June 6, 2019, the 'Supreme Court' of Crimea sentenced Kostyantyn Davidenko to 10 years and 6 months in a strict regime colony under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage). On October 15, 2019, the Supreme Court of Russia reduced the term to 7 years. He served his sentence in correctional colony No. 23 in Saratov Oblast. On August 24, 2025, Davidenko was released as part of the 68th prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Kostyantyn Oleksandrovych Davidenko was born on July 1, 1986. A resident of Donetsk Oblast, he engaged in appraisal activities in occupied Crimea under Ukrainian law, drafting donation and inheritance agreements under Ukrainian law, which legally affirmed Crimea's belonging to Ukraine. He never concealed his views. He has a child and a wife.

The conditions of imprisonment were extremely harsh. In Lefortovo, psychological torture was employed: solitary confinement with constant lighting, round-the-clock radio – 'Spas' or 'Zvezda', – meager food. In Krasnodar, the transit cell for 14 people held up to 54: bedbugs, cockroaches, rats. In Saratov colony No. 23, physical abuse was more severe: 'they had to walk in circles, sing 'Katyusha''. Davidenko spent a month in solitary confinement.

In 2023, he suffered a stroke in the colony – partial facial paralysis on the right side, impaired vision and hearing. After the full-scale invasion began, conditions worsened due to his status as a 'Ukrainian spy'.

Until February 10, 2025, Davidenko was in the colony, after which he was transferred to a detention centre for migrants in Engels, allegedly for deportation. On August 11, the chief announced the exchange. At the military airfield in Engels, he was handed over to military police, blindfolded, and put on a plane. After landing in Gomel (Belarus), he was transferred to buses, taken to the border, and released. 'Along the road stood people with Ukrainian flags. It's indescribable,' Davidenko recounted.

After returning, Davidenko headed the charity 'Civilians in Captivity' and assists other released individuals. He sharply criticizes the lack of systemic support from the state: 'People after captivity are desocialized. The case management institute for them works only on paper at the state level.' He points out that the ICRC refuses to fund treatment for the consequences of torture because it requires officially recognizing the fact of torture, which contradicts their declared neutrality. He raises the issue of compensation mechanisms for captives: 'In 7 years of captivity, my business collapsed, I lost clientele and skills. The state must devise a mechanism to restore justice.'

Information used from open sources: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Suspilne Crimea, CrimeaSOS.

Photo: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Date updated: 03.07.2026.