Detention: On July 2, 2015, Yuriy Ilchenko was detained by FSB officers and the Center for Countering Extremism (CCE) in Sevastopol. The basis for the detention was his blog and social media posts, where he sharply criticized the occupation of Crimea, called for a complete blockade of the annexed Crimea, and suggested revoking Ukrainian citizenship from Crimeans who obtained Russian passports. Before his detention, FSB and CCE officers, including Maksym Novoseltsev, whom colleagues called 'the executioner' for his cruelty, frequently visited his home. He was charged under Articles 280 and 282 of the Russian Criminal Code — public calls for extremist activities and inciting ethnic hatred.

Sentence: After 11 months in Simferopol pre-trial detention centre, on June 2, 2016, Ilchenko was placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. On June 11, he escaped — cutting off the bracelet, wearing his father's jacket, and taking his mother's cane to avoid immediate recognition by cameras on trees near his home. He ran through the forest for about an hour and a half. He reached the administrative border by hitchhiking, changing cars several times. He crossed the border through a mined forest area. On June 16, he arrived at CrimeaSOS in Lviv. After his release, Ilchenko lives in Lviv with his parents, who were successfully evacuated from Crimea.

Yuriy Ilchenko is a resident of Sevastopol, a pro-Ukrainian activist. His family was the first in Crimea to publicly renounce Russian citizenship. Ilchenko himself stated that even in prison, if offered a passport in exchange for freedom, he would refuse.

The conditions in Simferopol pre-trial detention centre were dire. According to Ilchenko, the only pre-trial detention centre on the occupied Crimean peninsula at that time was catastrophically overcrowded: 'The conditions were terrible. Not even every prisoner had a bed. We took turns: one sleeps, two wait for a place to become available. We were held in an area of less than one square meter per person, although even by their standards it should be 4 meters. The food was such that we didn't even take it because it stank, and many felt nauseous.' He also reported that the occupying authorities were building another pre-trial detention centre in Sevastopol at that time.

During the investigation, they tried to extract a confession from him that he allegedly coordinated the 'Right Sector' in Crimea and was preparing to blow up a Lenin monument. Torture was used for this: 'I often wanted to die at night so that new tortures wouldn't start in the morning. They beat me on the kidneys, spine, and head,' he said.

Upon arriving in Lviv, Ilchenko's press conference was postponed for two months for the safety of his parents, who remained in occupied Crimea. By the end of August 2016, his parents were successfully evacuated. After this, he publicly spoke about his escape and detention conditions at a press conference at Ukrinform on August 17, 2016. After his release, Ilchenko gave private English lessons in Lviv.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Zaxid.net, Hromadske Radio, Interfax-Ukraine, CrimeaSOS, bbc.com,

Photo: Hromadske.

Last updated: 03.07.2026.