Detention: November 20, 2024, while leaving the temporarily occupied Crimea towards Voronezh (Russian Federation).

Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there is no information on a sentence in verified open sources. The Russian Federation accuses Evelina Melnychuk of 'treason' under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Human rights organizations consider the prosecution politically motivated and emphasize that she was held incommunicado for over 16 months, with her whereabouts concealed from her family and lawyers.

Evelina Valeriivna Melnychuk was born on August 26, 1967. She graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Ecology at the National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv in 1990. She lived in Yalta for a long time and also resided between Ukraine and Slovenia. Open sources indicate she was a co-founder of the company 'Design-Service', which operated in the field of interior repair and design.

On November 20, 2024, Evelina Melnychuk, along with her 79-year-old mother, left occupied Yalta for Voronezh. From there, she planned to travel to Slovenia via Belarus. After passing Russian border control, contact with her was abruptly lost. Her mother later reported that FSB officers had detained her daughter. Subsequently, there was no official information about her whereabouts or procedural status.

For more than 16 months, Evelina was held incommunicado. Her family did not know where she was held, could not send packages, or arrange meetings with an independent lawyer. Russian law enforcement did not confirm her detention. Human rights advocates repeatedly emphasized that such concealment of a person's whereabouts constitutes enforced disappearance and a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

Only in the spring of 2026 was Evelina Melnychuk located. It became known that she was in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Simferopol, and Russian investigators charged her with so-called 'treason'. Human rights defenders point out that information about the case circumstances, charges, and evidence is not publicly available.

As of July 19, 2026, Evelina Melnychuk remains in custody. There is no information on a sentence or her release in verified open sources.

Information sourced from open sources: Suspilne Crimea, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Human Rights Initiative 'Tribunal. Crimean Episode', Human Rights Project 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial'.

Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Update date: 19.07.2026.