Detention: On August 7, 2016, the FSB of Russia announced the detention of a so-called 'sabotage-terrorist group of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine' in annexed Crimea. Yevhen Panov, a resident of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, and head of the NGO 'Enerhodar Association - Defenders of Ukraine', was detained and taken to Simferopol. Panov's brother and friends claimed he could not have traveled to Crimea on his own and was likely abducted. Russian media showed a video where Panov, with bruises on his face, allegedly confessed to involvement in 'sabotage'.

Sentence: On July 13, 2018, the Kremlin-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea sentenced Yevhen Panov to 8 years in a high-security penal colony. He refused a plea deal and did not admit guilt. On October 25, 2018, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the sentence, rejecting the prosecution's request to increase the term to 10.5 years. On September 7, 2019, Panov returned to Ukraine as part of a major prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Yevhen Panov was born in 1977. He lived in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region. After the annexation of Crimea and the start of the conflict in Donbas in 2014, he joined the local Self-Defense, later participating in combat in eastern Ukraine. After demobilization, he worked at a nuclear power plant in Enerhodar. He became one of the leaders of Enerhodar's Self-Defense and in 2016 headed the local public organization 'Defenders of Ukraine'.

During the investigation, Yevhen Panov was tortured — the video shown by Russian media clearly shows bruises and abrasions on his face. Immediately after his detention, independent lawyers were not allowed to see him. Ukraine called the charges against him an FSB provocation.

Information sourced from open sources: Radio Liberty, ZMINA, Suspilne Crimea.

Photo: ZMINA.

Update date: 03.07.2026.