Detention: On March 27, 2024, Larysa Haidai disappeared. In August 2025, she was found in a Crimean pre-trial detention centre. The grounds for her detention were unknown until March 2026, when information emerged about a case under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('State Treason').

Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no sentence has been issued. Larysa Haidai remains in custody.

Larysa Serhiivna Haidai was born on March 5, 1964. She is a Ukrainian citizen and resident of the temporarily occupied Crimea. There are no confirmed details about her education, professional activities, or marital status in open sources.

On March 27, 2024, Larysa Haidai disappeared without a trace. The next day, Tetiana Pavlenko (Symonenko) and Elvira Aboyazova also disappeared. Subsequently, Russian authorities provided no information to relatives, lawyers, or the public about the women's whereabouts. Human rights defenders classified these incidents as enforced disappearances.

For over a year, Larysa Haidai's family did not know her whereabouts. It was only in August 2025 that the Crimean Tatar Resource Center reported her detention in Simferopol's Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2. Until then, Russian authorities had not confirmed her detention, provided her legal status, or filed official charges.

This practice of prolonged detention without contact with the outside world has become systemic in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

For nearly two years, Larysa Haidai was held incommunicado, without correspondence, visits from family, or full access to a lawyer. Only in spring 2026 did human rights defenders learn she had been transferred to Simferopol's Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 and officially charged with 'state treason.' Until then, the grounds for her detention remained completely unknown.

As of July 17, 2026, there is no information in open sources about the completion of the trial or sentencing of Larysa Haidai. She remains in custody, and her case is monitored by Ukrainian and international human rights organizations.

Information used from open sources: Crimean Tatar Resource Center, ZMINA, Suspilne Crimea, Krym.Realii (Radio Liberty), 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial'.

Photo: ZMINA.

Last updated: 17.07.2026