Detention: May – July 2022, Kherson region (exact date not established in open sources).

Sentence: On September 16, 2022, the Kyiv District Court of Simferopol, under Russian control, sentenced Serhii Hudym to 5 years imprisonment under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('Participation in an armed formation on the territory of a foreign state not provided for by the legislation of this state, for purposes contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation'). Human rights organizations consider the criminal prosecution politically motivated.

Serhii Olehovych Hudym was born on July 21, 1989. Before his detention, he lived in the village of Novooleksiivka, Kherson region. Information about his education, professional activities, marital status, and public activities is not available in open sources.

After the start of the full-scale war, the Russian Federation intensified criminal prosecution of residents of the Kherson region and Crimea on charges of alleged participation in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan. Serhii Hudym was prosecuted under this category of cases.

According to human rights defenders, he was deprived of liberty in May or July 2022. The exact date of detention is not provided in open materials. Within a few months, the case was reviewed by a court in Simferopol under Russian control. There is no independent information about the investigation process, access to a lawyer, or adherence to procedural guarantees.

The Russian side claimed that Serhii Hudym participated in the activities of the Noman Çelebicihan battalion. The battalion was established in 2015 during the civic blockade of Crimea. In 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized it as a 'terrorist organization,' after which Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code began to be widely applied to Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine and human rights organizations view such criminal proceedings as a tool of political persecution.

On September 16, 2022, the occupation court in Simferopol found Serhii Hudym guilty and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment. Open sources do not contain information on whether he admitted guilt, who represented his defense, or whether an appeal was filed.

The human rights project 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial' included Serhii Hudym in the list of individuals whose criminal prosecution shows signs of political motivation. The organization notes that in cases related to the Noman Çelebicihan battalion, Russian courts often issue guilty verdicts without adequate evidence and without fully ensuring the right to a fair trial.

Due to the closed nature of the Russian penitentiary system, information about the place of imprisonment, health condition, and conditions of detention of Serhii Hudym is practically absent in open access. Ukrainian human rights defenders continue to document such cases as examples of unlawful criminal prosecution of Ukrainian citizens.

As of July 17, 2026, no new officially confirmed information regarding changes in his procedural status or early release has been published in open sources.

Information used from open sources: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial'.

Update date: 17.07.2026